A biocompatible nitinol based triboelectric stent sensor for prospective cardiovascular health monitoring

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been considered as an effective approach for self-powered systems. Currently, coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. This can be easily resolved by balloon angioplasty or a specialized mesh tube called a stent. This study demonstrates a stent sensor made of nitinol, a nickel—titanium alloy used in the medical field for its pseudo-elasticity and strong corrosion resistance, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which can measure several physiological parameters while placing it in the arteries. This nitinol health monitor sensor (NHMS) device thus integrates the TENG with a specific medical application. The NHMS possesses memory shape nitinol electrodes that preserve the device structure, while using PDMS and PVDF triboelectric effect to measure heart rate, blood pressure and breathing patterns. Three constant pressures were measured in this study. At a constant pressure of stage 1 (5 psi), stage 2 (11 psi) and stage 3 (13 psi), the NHMS produces an average alternating current (AC) of 0.31 V, 0.49 V and 0.71 V, respectively. Several beats per minute (bpm) were measured and clear readings were obtained from 30 bpm to 180 bpm. Additionally, this device was able to charge a commercial capacitor, which shows its performance as a self-powered sensor, thus holding great potential in medical applications.