WSe/chitosan-based Wearable Multi-functional Platform for Monitoring Electrophysiological Signals, Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, and Body Movements

A cleanroom free optimized fabrication of a low-cost facile tungsten diselenide (WSe) combined with chitosan-based hydrogel device is reported for multifunctional applications including tactile sensing, pulse rate monitoring, respiratory rate monitoring, human body movements detection, and human electrophysiological signal detection. Chitosan being a natural biodegradable, non-toxic compound serves as a substrate to the semiconducting WSe electrode which is synthesized using a single step hydrothermal technique. Elaborate characterization studies are performed to confirm the morphological, structural, and electrical properties of the fabricated chitosan/WSe device. Chitosan/WSe sensor with copper contacts on each side is put directly on skin to capture human body motions. The resistivity of the sample was calculated as 26 kΩ m. The device behaves as an ultrasensitive pressure sensor for tactile and arterial pulse sensing with response time of 0.9 s and sensitivity of around 0.02 kPa. It is also capable for strain sensing with a gauge factor of 54 which is significantly higher than similar other reported electrodes. The human body movements sensing can be attributed to the piezoresistive character of WSe that originates from its non-centrosymmetric structure. Further, the sensor is employed for monitoring respiratory rate which measures to 13 counts/min for healthy individual and electrophysiological signals like ECG and EOG which can be used later for detecting numerous pathological conditions in humans. Electrophysiological signal sensing is carried out using a bio-signal amplifier (Bio-Amp EXG Pill) connected to Arduino. The skin-friendly, low toxic WSe/chitosan dry electrodes pave the way for replacing wet electrodes and find numerous applications in personalized healthcare.