Flexible, Wearable and Fully-printed Smart Patch for pH and Hydration Sensing in Wounds

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Wound healing is a complex biological process with dynamic physical and chemical changes.
• Effective wound management, especially for bed-ridden patients, requires continuous monitoring of key parameters.
• Existing monitoring methods may be costly, rigid, or difficult to integrate into wound dressings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-cost, flexible, and fully printed on-skin sensor patch for real-time monitoring of wound pH and fluid content.
• To assess the feasibility of integrating such a sensor into wound dressings for improved patient care.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a flexible sensor patch using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate.
• Printing of distinct electrodes on the PDMS for simultaneous pH and moisture sensing.
• Characterization of sensor performance, including sensitivity to pH changes and quantification of moisture levels via resistance.

Main Results:

• The fabricated sensor patch demonstrated a sensitivity of 7.1 ohm/pH for measuring wound pH.
• The hydration sensor effectively quantified moisture levels on a semi-porous surface by measuring resistance changes.
• The sensor's flexibility allows for easy integration into wound dressings.

Conclusions:

• A novel, low-cost, and flexible printed sensor patch for wound monitoring has been successfully developed.
• The sensor accurately measures critical wound parameters (pH and moisture), offering benefits for patient management.
• This technology has the potential to enhance wound care through integrated, real-time monitoring.