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Nano Research 2023, 16(9): 11846-11854 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5420-1
Research Article | Issue | Published: 08 February 2023

Miniaturized retractable thin-film sensor for wearable multifunctional respiratory monitoring

Show Author's Information Chengyu Li1,2,§,  Zijie Xu1,2,§,  Shuxing Xu1,3,§,  Tingyu Wang1,2,  Siyu Zhou4,  Zhuoran Sun4,  Zhong Lin Wang1,5( ),  Wei Tang1,2,3( )
Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China
School of Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Center on Nanoenergy Research, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

§ Chengyu Li, Zijie Xu, and Shuxing Xu contributed equally to this work.

Keywords:
triboelectric nanogenerator, self-powered, respiratory monitoring, discrete and vector, thin-film sensors
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Li C, Xu Z, Xu S, et al. Miniaturized retractable thin-film sensor for wearable multifunctional respiratory monitoring. Nano Research, 2023, 16(9): 11846-11854. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5420-1
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

As extremely important physiological indicators, respiratory signals can often reflect or predict the depth and urgency of various diseases. However, designing a wearable respiratory monitoring system with convenience, excellent durability, and high precision is still an urgent challenge. Here, we designed an easy-fabricate, lightweight, and badge reel-like retractable self-powered sensor (RSPS) with high precision, sensitivity, and durability for continuous detection of important indicators such as respiratory rate, apnea, and respiratory ventilation. By using three groups of interdigital electrode structures with phase differences, combined with flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) processing technology, a miniature rotating thin-film triboelectric nanogenerator (RTF-TENG) was developed. Based on discrete sensing technology, the RSPS has a sensing resolution of 0.13 mm, sensitivity of 7 P·mm−1, and durability more than 1 million stretching cycles, with low hysteresis and excellent anti-environmental interference ability. Additionally, to demonstrate its wearability, real-time, and convenience of respiratory monitoring, a multifunctional wearable respiratory monitoring system (MWRMS) was designed. The MWRMS demonstrated in this study is expected to provide a new and practical strategy and technology for daily human respiratory monitoring and clinical diagnosis.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Miniaturized retractable thin-film sensor for wearable multifunctional respiratory monitoring

Show Author's information Chengyu Li1,2,§, Zijie Xu1,2,§, Shuxing Xu1,3,§, Tingyu Wang1,2, Siyu Zhou4, Zhuoran Sun4, Zhong Lin Wang1,5( ), Wei Tang1,2,3( )
Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China
School of Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Center on Nanoenergy Research, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

§ Chengyu Li, Zijie Xu, and Shuxing Xu contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

As extremely important physiological indicators, respiratory signals can often reflect or predict the depth and urgency of various diseases. However, designing a wearable respiratory monitoring system with convenience, excellent durability, and high precision is still an urgent challenge. Here, we designed an easy-fabricate, lightweight, and badge reel-like retractable self-powered sensor (RSPS) with high precision, sensitivity, and durability for continuous detection of important indicators such as respiratory rate, apnea, and respiratory ventilation. By using three groups of interdigital electrode structures with phase differences, combined with flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) processing technology, a miniature rotating thin-film triboelectric nanogenerator (RTF-TENG) was developed. Based on discrete sensing technology, the RSPS has a sensing resolution of 0.13 mm, sensitivity of 7 P·mm−1, and durability more than 1 million stretching cycles, with low hysteresis and excellent anti-environmental interference ability. Additionally, to demonstrate its wearability, real-time, and convenience of respiratory monitoring, a multifunctional wearable respiratory monitoring system (MWRMS) was designed. The MWRMS demonstrated in this study is expected to provide a new and practical strategy and technology for daily human respiratory monitoring and clinical diagnosis.

Keywords: triboelectric nanogenerator, self-powered, respiratory monitoring, discrete and vector, thin-film sensors

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 11 October 2022
Revised: 18 November 2022
Accepted: 18 December 2022
Published: 08 February 2023
Issue date: September 2023

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2023

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFA1201601) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52192610). We would like to thank Yanshuo Sun, Chuan Ning, and Jie An. for their helpful discussions. The volunteers involved in the respiratory monitoring are also the co-authors of this manuscript. No ethical approval was required in this case.

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