Xing Xuan

Wearable lactate sensors for sweat analysis are highly appealing for both the sports and healthcare fields. Electrochemical biosensing is the approach most widely used for lactate determination, and this technology generally demonstrates a linear range of response far below the expected lactate levels in sweat together with a high influence of pH and temperature. In this work, we present a novel analytical strategy based on the restriction of the lactate flux that reaches the enzyme lactate oxidase, which is immobilized in the biosensor core. This is accomplished by means of an outer plasticized polymeric layer containing the quaternary salt tetradodecylammonium tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl) borate (traditionally known as ETH500). Also, this layer prevents the enzyme from being in direct contact with the sample, and hence, any influence with the pH and temperature is dramatically reduced. An expanded limit of detection in the millimolar range (from 1 to 50 mM) is demonstrated with this new biosensor, in addition to an acceptable response time; appropriate repeatability, reproducibility, and reversibility (variations lower than 5% for the sensitivity); good resiliency; excellent selectivity; low drift; negligible influence of the flow rate; and extraordinary correlation (Pearson coefficient of 0.97) with a standardized method for lactate detection such as ion chromatography (through analysis of 22 sweat samples collected from 6 different subjects performing cycling or running). The developed lactate biosensor is suitable for on-body sweat lactate monitoring via a microfluidic epidermal patch additionally containing pH and temperature sensors. This applicability was demonstrated in three different body locations (forehead, thigh, and back) in a total of five on-body tests while cycling, achieving appropriate performance and validation. Moreover, the epidermal patch for lactate sensing is convenient for the analysis of sweat stimulated by iontophoresis in the subjects’ arm, which is of great potential toward healthcare applications.

A nature-inspired special structure of bismuth is newly presented as Zn ion sensing layer for high-performance electrochemical heavy metal detection sensor applications. The rime ice-like bismuth (RIBi) has been synthesized using an easy ex situ electrodeposition method on the surface of a flexible graphene-based electrode. The flexible graphene-based electrode was fabricated via simple laser-writing and substrate-transfer techniques. The Zn ion sensing performance of the proposed heavy metal sensor was evaluated by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry after investigating the effects of several parameters, such as preconcentration potential, preconcentration time, and pH of acetate buffer. The proposed RIBi-based heavy metal sensor demonstrated a good linear relationship between concentration and current in the range 100–1600 ppb Zn ions with an acceptable sensitivity of 106 nA/ppb·cm². The result met the requirements in terms of common human perspiration levels (the average Zn ion concentration in perspiration is 800 ppb). In addition, the heavy metal sensor response to Zn ions was successfully performed in human perspiration samples as well, and the results were consistent with those measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Besides, the fabricated Zn ion sensor exhibited excellent selectivity, repeatability, and flexibility. Finally, a PANI-LIG-based pH sensor (measurement range: pH 4–7) was also integrated with the Zn ion sensor to form a single chip hybrid sensor. These results may provide a great possibility for the use of the proposed flexible sensor to realize wearable perspiration-based healthcare systems. Graphical abstract

A flexible electrochemical heavy metal sensor based on a gold (Au) electrode modified with layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of titanium carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) nanocomposites was successfully fabricated for the detection of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) ions. An LBL drop-coating process was adopted to modify the surface of Au electrodes with Ti₃C₂T_x/MWNTs treated via ultrasonication to fabricate this novel nanocomposite electrode. In addition, an in situ simultaneous deposition of “green metal” antimony (Sb) and target analytes was performed to improve the detection performance further. The electrochemical measurement was realized using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Moreover, the fabricated sensor exhibited excellent detection performance under the optimal experimental conditions. The detection limits for Cu and Zn are as low as 0.1 and 1.5 ppb, respectively. Furthermore, Cu and Zn ions were successfully detected in biofluids, that is, urine and sweat, in a wide range of concentration (urine Cu: 10–500 ppb; urine Zn: 200–600 ppb; sweat Cu: 300–1500 ppb; and sweat Zn: 500–1500 ppb). The fabricated flexible sensor also possesses other advantages of ultra-repeatability and excellent stability. Thus, these advantages provide a great possibility for the noninvasive smart monitoring of heavy metals in the future.

Current immunosensors have an insufficient number of binding sites for the recognition of biomolecules, which leads to false positive or negative results. In this research, a facile, cost‐effective, disposable, and highly selective electrochemical immunosensing platform is developed based on cationic polyelectrolyte polyallylamine (PAAMI) anchored laser‐ablated graphene (LAG). Here, for the first time, PAAMI is introduced to stabilize LAG flakes, while retaining the intrinsic thermal and electronic properties of the substrate by noncovalent π–π interaction and electrostatic physical absorption. The sensing platform offers a suitable number of anchoring sites for the immobilized antibodies by providing NH₂ functional groups. The proper grafting of PAAMI is confirmed through X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The immunosensing platform is applied to detect immunoglobulin (IgG) biomarkers as a proof of concept. Under optimized conditions, the sensing platform exhibits a linear range of 0.012–15 and 15–352 ng mL⁻¹ with a limit of detection of 6 pg mL⁻¹ for IgG detection with high selectivity. Based on the analysis, the developed immunosensing platform can be used for point‐of‐care detection of IgG in clinical diagnostic centers. Furthermore, the developed strategy is well suited for the detection of other cancer biomarkers after immobilizing the relevant antibodies.

Poisoning from carbonaceous species and poor mass activity of catalysts are two major challenges that should be overcome for the commercial applications of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). In this work, superior poison‐tolerant, carbon‐free nanocoral‐structured platinum (ncs‐Pt) catalysts are successfully synthesized by using a micelle‐directed method. The morphology and pore size of ncs‐Pt are tailored by varying the compositional ratio of Pt in the precursor solutions and by changing the molecular ratios of different surfactant blocks. The physical properties of the ncs‐Pt catalyst are observed through field emission scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, whereas the electrochemical characteristics are analyzed through cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The developed ncs‐Pt (5 mM) catalyst exhibits a high density of porous structures, high index facets, lower d‐band center, and a highly negative onset potential (−0.59 V). Therefore, the developed ncs‐Pt catalyst offers enhanced mass activity 6.56 mA/μg and superior poison tolerance 5.62 for the methanol oxidation reaction.

Advancement of sensing systems, soft robotics, and point-of-care testing requires the development of highly efficient, scalable, and cost-effective physical sensors with competitive and attractive features such as high sensitivity, reliability, and preferably reversible sensing behaviors. This study reports a highly sensitive and reliable piezoresistive strain sensor fabricated by one-step carbonization of MoS2-coated polyimide (PI) film to obtain MoS2-decorated laser-induced graphene (MDS-LIG). The resulting three-dimensional porous graphene nanoflakes decorated with MoS2 exhibit stable electrical properties yielding reliable output for longer strain/release cycles. The sensor demonstrates high sensitivity (i. e. gauge factor, GF ≈ 1242), is hysteresis-free (~2.75%), has a wide working range (up to 37.5%), ultralow detection limit (0.025%), fast relaxation time (~0.17 s), and a highly stable and reproducible response over multiple tests cycles (>12,000) with excellent switching response. Owing to the outstanding performances of the sensor, it is possible to successfully detect various subtle movements ranging from phonation, eye-blinking, and wrist pulse to large human-motion-induced deformations.