Nanofibrous Membrane-Based Stretchable Electrochemical Sweat Sensor for pH Detection.

Abstract

Wearable, non-invasive sweat sensors capable of continuously monitoring the pH of sweat, which is a key indicator related to metabolism and homeostasis level, are highly desirable for personal health management. However, ensuring the stability and accuracy of these sensors can be challenging when the body is in motion. In this work, we prepared a stretchable nanofibrous membrane-based electrochemical pH-sensing electrode by embedding carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) into an elastic electrospun nanofibrous membrane, followed by polyaniline electrodeposition. The as-prepared pH-sensing electrode showed a high sensitivity of 82.53 mV/pH and high accuracy in ionic solutions with pH ranging from 3 to 7. Notably, the electrode maintained stable sensing performance under deformations, including torsion, bending, and tensile strains up to 30%. Even after 1000 cycles of stretching at a 30% tensile strain, the detection sensitivity remained above 70 mV/pH, indicating its potential application as a wearable electrochemical sensor for monitoring sweat pH in personal health management.