Optical Oxygen Sensor Patch Printed with Polystyrene Microparticles-based Ink on Flexible Substrate.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Photoluminescence quenching optical oxygen sensors are valuable for continuous oxygen monitoring.
• Developing cost-effective, high-performance sensors is crucial for diverse applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, low-cost fabrication technique for 2D oxygen tension measurement using sensor arrays.
• To characterize the performance of printed optical oxygen sensors for continuous monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of sensor patches using an oxygen-sensitive ink (PtTFPP in polystyrene microparticles) printed on polyvinylidene chloride film.
• Ink formulation optimization considering dispersion media and particle size.
• Sensor performance evaluation using a multi-frequency phase fluorometer and smartphone-based image acquisition across 0-21% oxygen.

Main Results:

• The printed sensor patch demonstrated fast, repetitive responses with high linearity (R² >0.99) and sensitivity (I₀/I₂₁ >1.55) over 0-21% oxygen.
• Ink phosphorescence intensity correlated with fluorophore concentration and polystyrene particle size.
• Two-dimensional oxygen mapping was achieved using smartphone imaging.

Conclusions:

• A simple and low-cost method for producing 2D optical oxygen sensor arrays was successfully developed.
• The sensor arrays exhibit excellent performance characteristics for oxygen monitoring.
• This technology presents an ideal platform for early detection of surface wounds by assessing tissue oxygen levels.