Printable Core-Shell Multifunctional Particle for Light-Enhanced Nanomolar-Level Testosterone Point-of-Care Monitoring

Abstract Biomolecular point-of-care monitoring in saliva, urine, and sweat pioneers the real-time and noninvasive biochemical analysis for personalized healthcare and precision disease therapeutics. However, the adoption of these technologies still faces challenges due to the hardly detectable targets with weak redox activity, extremely low analyte concentration, operational instability of sensors, and low scalability of the fabrication process. To address these issues, we proposed a novel core-shell multifunctional particle for the light-enhanced detection of testosterone at the nanomolar level. The particle comprises a ZnIn2S4/SiC core and a targeted molecularly imprinted polymer shell, achieving multifunctions, including visible light sensitivity, testosterone recognition, and redox activity. The printable ability of the multifunctional particle leads to inkjet-printed testosterone sensors with stable (over 50 days), reproducible, and outstanding light-promoted sensing performance (limit of detection 0.01 nM (S/N = 3) and linear range from 0.01 to 1000 nM). The effectiveness of the testosterone sensors was validated in saliva and urine lateral flow electrochemical testing strips and wearable sweat testosterone sensors, achieving testosterone point-of-care testing in multiple human biofluids. These offer great opportunities for the noninvasive biomolecular profiling, further promoting personalized healthcare and precision disease therapeutics.