Smart wearable photonic array biosensor for human sweat analysis

Cholesteric liquid crystal networks (CLCN) intertwined with interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels have emerged as a promising platform for the development of optical photonic sensors. However, the integration of a multiplex biosensor withinaflexible substrate for real-time human sweat analysis remains a significant challenge. Herein, we present a novel flexible CLCN-IPN-based sensor array, embedded withinasoft wearable microfluidic patch, designed for the continuous monitoring of humansweat. This innovative biosensor allows optical detection of glucose, urea, and lactatewith impressive limits of detection: 0.31 mM for glucose, 0.273 mMfor urea, and3.11mM for lactate. The wearable array biosensor enables real-time analysis of sweat, offering results that can be interpreted with the naked eye, eliminating the needfor complex instruments. This approach to epidermal health monitoring has the potential toinspire new advancements in wearable sensor devices, contributing to the futureof smart healthcare applications.