Polymer-Based Multiparameter Sensing Integrated Photonic Chip for Health Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Optical sensors are vital for medical diagnostics but conventional devices struggle with multiplexing, functionalization, and integration.
• Developing integrated, multiparameter sensing platforms is crucial for advancing wearable health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a monolithic integrated photonic chip for simultaneous, on-chip sensing of multiple physiological parameters.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional optical sensors in terms of integration and multiplexing capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) photonic chip.
• Integration of waveguide Bragg grating (WBG) sensors for glucose, pressure, and temperature.
• Incorporation of Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) for electrocardiogram (ECG) sensing and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) for sweat glucose sensing.
• On-chip arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) demodulation unit for signal processing.

Main Results:

• WBG glucose sensor stable from 0 to 2.3 mg/mL; pressure sensor from 0 to 12 kPa; temperature sensor from 35 to 41°C.
• MZM ECG sensor achieved a half-wave voltage of 1.6 V, comparable to commercial systems.
• MZI sweat glucose sensor demonstrated a 0-0.2 mg/mL detection range with high sensitivity and linearity.

Conclusions:

• The developed miniature photonic chip (1 cm × 0.5 cm) provides a robust on-chip multiparameter sensing solution.
• This integrated platform represents a significant step towards next-generation wearable continuous health monitoring systems.
• The device offers potential for non-invasive and continuous physiological monitoring in diverse healthcare applications.