PCL/PEO Polymer Membrane Prevents Biofouling in Wearable Detection Sensors

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Biosensing technologies are advancing for point-of-care applications.
• Electrochemical and optical biosensors face limitations in sensitivity and biofouling.
• Non-specific adsorption of biomolecules (biofouling) hinders sensor performance and longevity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a functional membrane for enhanced analyte adsorption, enrichment, and detection.
• To integrate a Polycaprolactone (PCL) and Polyethylene oxide (PEO) membrane into a microfluidic sampling interface and electrochemical sensing unit.
• To mitigate biofouling in electrochemical biosensing systems.

Main Methods:

• A PCL/PEO membrane was fabricated using a solvent casting evaporation method.
• A microfluidic flow cell was designed to mimic human perspiration.
• Electrochemical techniques, including Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), were used to monitor protein adsorption.

Main Results:

• The solvent casting evaporation method yielded membranes with desired physical properties and a porous structure.
• The membrane demonstrated excellent permeation and media transfer efficiency in the microfluidic flow cell.
• PCL/PEO membranes significantly reduced biofouling on gold electrodes.

Conclusions:

• The developed PCL/PEO membrane is effective for improving analyte detection in biosensing.
• The membrane successfully mitigates biofouling, enhancing sensor performance and longevity.
• This technology holds promise for advanced point-of-care diagnostic devices.