Development of skin attachable glucose sensor based on multi-modal, self-powered nanowire/microgel hybrid film

Abstract

This dissertation is an improved skin-attachable blood glucose sensor platform through the development of a silk adhesive and nanowire/microgel hybrid film. By using vertically aligned flexible piezoelectric materials in the form of nanowires and hybridizing them with a microgel that responds to blood sugar, self-powering is made feasible, and a film that can simultaneously measure not only blood sugar but also multiple biological signals such as blood pressure or pulse was developed. To attach the developed hybrid film to the human body, a wearable chamber-type sensor platform was devised, and a silk adhesive for skin attachment was developed based on a biocompatible silk material to enhance the sensor device/skin interface characteristics. By integrating all of these, a skin-attachable self-powered blood glucose sensor platform was implemented, and in the future, there is scope for developing a wearable sensor platform that can comprehensively monitor the patient’s condition in addition to the blood glucose level.