Viscoelastic blood coagulation testing system enabled by a non-contact triboelectric angle sensor

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Thromboelastography (TEG) is crucial for assessing blood coagulation, guiding transfusions, and evaluating thrombosis risk.
• Existing TEG devices can be bulky and complex, limiting widespread point-of-care application.
• There is a need for miniaturized, cost-effective, and accurate blood coagulation analysis systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact thromboelastography (TEG) device utilizing a non-contact triboelectric angle sensor (NTAS).
• To assess the feasibility and performance of the NTAS-TEG for analyzing blood viscoelasticity and coagulation.
• To demonstrate the potential of triboelectric sensors in advanced healthcare diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• A novel non-contact triboelectric angle sensor (NTAS) with a superelastic torsion wire was designed and integrated into a TEG system.
• The NTAS features a grating and convex design for precise angle detection (-2.5° to 2.5°) with high linearity (R² = 0.999) and resolution (0.01°).
• A complete viscoelastic blood coagulation detection and analysis system was constructed using the NTAS-TEG, requiring only 0.36 mL of whole blood.

Main Results:

• The developed NTAS-TEG system accurately measures blood viscoelasticity.
• The sensor demonstrates high linearity and resolution, enabling precise detection of coagulation dynamics.
• The system successfully provides comprehensive coagulation parameters, including clot initiation, formation, and stability.

Conclusions:

• The NTAS-TEG system represents a feasible and effective approach for blood coagulation testing.
• The compact, low-cost NTAS sensor offers significant advantages for point-of-care diagnostics.
• This work expands the application scope of triboelectric sensors within the healthcare sector.