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Sun Z, Yin Y, Liu B, Xue T, Zou Q. Amphibious Multifunctional Hydrogel Flexible Haptic Sensor with Self-Compensation Mechanism. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 24:3232. [PMID: 38794086 PMCID: PMC11125873 DOI: 10.3390/s24103232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, hydrogel-based wearable flexible electronic devices have attracted much attention. However, hydrogel-based sensors are affected by structural fatigue, material aging, and water absorption and swelling, making stability and accuracy a major challenge. In this study, we present a DN-SPEZ dual-network hydrogel prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sodium alginate (SA), ethylene glycol (EG), and ZnSO4 and propose a self-calibration compensation strategy. The strategy utilizes a metal salt solution to adjust the carrier concentration of the hydrogel to mitigate the resistance drift phenomenon to improve the stability and accuracy of hydrogel sensors in amphibious scenarios, such as land and water. The ExpGrow model was used to characterize the trend of the ∆R/R0 dynamic response curves of the hydrogels in the stress tests, and the average deviation of the fitted curves ϵ¯ was calculated to quantify the stability differences of different groups. The results showed that the stability of the uncompensated group was much lower than that of the compensated group utilizing LiCl, NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and AlCl3 solutions (ϵ¯ in the uncompensated group in air was 276.158, 1.888, 2.971, 30.586, and 13.561 times higher than that of the compensated group in LiCl, NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and AlCl3, respectively; ϵ¯ in the uncompensated group in seawater was 10.287 times, 1.008 times, 1.161 times, 4.986 times, 1.281 times, respectively, higher than that of the compensated group in LiCl, NaCl, KCl, MgCl2 and AlCl3). In addition, for the ranking of the compensation effect of different compensation solutions, the concentration of the compensation solution and the ionic radius and charge of the cation were found to be important factors in determining the compensation effect. Detection of events in amphibious environments such as swallowing, robotic arm grasping, Morse code, and finger-wrist bending was also performed in this study. This work provides a viable method for stability and accuracy enhancement of dual-network hydrogel sensors with strain and pressure sensing capabilities and offers solutions for sensor applications in both airborne and underwater amphibious environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhao Sun
- School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (Z.S.); (Y.Y.); (B.L.)
| | - Yunjiang Yin
- School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (Z.S.); (Y.Y.); (B.L.)
| | - Baoguo Liu
- School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (Z.S.); (Y.Y.); (B.L.)
| | - Tao Xue
- Center of Analysis and Testing Facilities, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China;
| | - Qiang Zou
- School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (Z.S.); (Y.Y.); (B.L.)
- Tianjin International Joint Research Center for Internet of Things, Tianjin 300072, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Imaging and Sensing Microelectronic Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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Vogt B. Catheter-Free Urodynamics Testing: Current Insights and Clinical Potential. Res Rep Urol 2024; 16:1-17. [PMID: 38192632 PMCID: PMC10771720 DOI: 10.2147/rru.s387757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Lower urinary tract dysfunction not only interferes with the health-related quality of life of patients but may also lead to acute kidney injury and infections. To assess the bladder, urodynamic studies (UDS) have been implemented but the use of catheters leads to discomfort for the patient. Catheter-free long-term UDS would be useful and a potential solution could be ambulatory wireless devices that communicate via telemetry. Such sensors can detect pressure or volume. Numerous types of potential catheter-free sensors have been proposed for bladder monitoring. Despite substantial innovation in the manufacturing of implantable biomedical electronic systems, such sensors have remained at the laboratory stage due to a number of critical challenges. These challenges primarily concern hermeticity and biocompatibility, sensitivity and artifacts, drift, telemetry, and energy management. Having overcome these challenges, catheter-free ambulatory urodynamic monitoring could combine a synchronized intravesical pressure sensor with a volume analyzer but only the steps of cystometry and volume measurement are currently sufficiently reproducible to simulate UDS results. The measurement of volume by infrared optical sensors, in the form of abdominal patches, appears to be promising and studies are underway to market a telemetric ambulatory urodynamic monitoring system that includes an intravesical pressure sensor. There has been considerable progress in wearable and conformable electronics on many fronts, and continued collaboration between engineers and urologists could quickly overcome current challenges. In addition, to the diagnosis of UDS, such sensors could be useful in the development of a long-term closed-loop neuromodulation system. In this review, we explore the various types of catheter-free bladder sensors, inherent challenges and solutions to overcome these challenges, and the clinical potential of such long-term implantable sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoît Vogt
- Department of Urology, Polyclinique de Blois, La Chaussée Saint-Victor, France
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Nasrabadi MZ, Tabibi H, Salmani M, Torkashvand M, Zarepour E. A comprehensive survey on non-invasive wearable bladder volume monitoring systems. Med Biol Eng Comput 2021; 59:1373-1402. [PMID: 34258707 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-021-02395-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Measuring the volume of urine in the bladder is a significant issue in patients who suffer from the lack of bladder fullness sensation or have problems with timeliness getting to the restroom, such as spinal cord injury patients and some of the elderlies. Real-time monitoring of the bladder, therefore, can be highly helpful for urinary incontinence. Bladder volume monitoring technologies can be divided into two distinct categories of invasive and non-invasive. In invasive techniques, a catheter is directly inserted into the urethra to measure the amount of urine accurately. However, it is painful, limits the user's ordinary movements, and may hurt the urinary tract. Current non-invasive techniques measure the volume of the bladder from the skin using different stationary or portable apparatus at health centers. Both techniques have difficulties and are not cost-effective to use for a long period. Recently, both invasive and non-invasive methods have been attempted to be produced in the form of wearable devices utilizing different sensing and communication technologies. Wearable bladder monitoring devices can be easily used by patients with no or few clinical steps, making them much more affordable than non-wearable devices. While wearable devices seem to be a highly convenient and effective solution, they suffer from few drawbacks, such as relatively low precision. Hence, a great number of studies have been conducted to address these issues. In this article, we review and discuss non-invasive and minimally invasive methods for monitoring the bladder volume. We focus on the most practical and state-of-the-art methods employed in wearable devices, classify them by engineering and medical characteristics, and investigate their specifications, architectures, and measurement algorithms. This study aims to introduce the latest advances in this field to practitioners while comparing the advantages and disadvantages of existing approaches. Our study concludes with open problems and future trends in the area of bladder monitoring and measurement systems. Graphical abstract Wearable bladder monitoring system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hamideh Tabibi
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Salmani
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Eisa Zarepour
- School of Computer Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
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Jiang H, Carter NM, Zareei A, Nejati S, Waimin JF, Chittiboyina S, Niedert EE, Soleimani T, Lelièvre SA, Goergen CJ, Rahimi R. A Wireless Implantable Strain Sensing Scheme Using Ultrasound Imaging of Highly Stretchable Zinc Oxide/Poly Dimethylacrylamide Nanocomposite Hydrogel. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2020; 3:4012-4024. [PMID: 35025476 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.9b01032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hongjie Jiang
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057, United States
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2035, United States
- Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, China
| | - Natalie M. Carter
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2045, United States
| | - Amin Zareei
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057, United States
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2045, United States
| | - Sina Nejati
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057, United States
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2045, United States
| | - Jose F. Waimin
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057, United States
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2045, United States
| | - Shirisha Chittiboyina
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057, United States
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Elizabeth E. Niedert
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2032, United States
| | - Tahereh Soleimani
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Sophie A. Lelièvre
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Craig J. Goergen
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2032, United States
- Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2032, United States
| | - Rahim Rahimi
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2057, United States
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2035, United States
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2045, United States
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Kim JS, Kim JH, Cho Y, Shim TS. Agarose/Spherical Activated Carbon Composite Gels for Recyclable and Shape-Configurable Electrodes. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:polym11050875. [PMID: 31091674 PMCID: PMC6572220 DOI: 10.3390/polym11050875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft electrodes have been known as a key component in the engineering of flexible, wearable, and implantable energy-saving or powering devices. As environmental issues are emerging, the increase of electronic wastes due to the short replacement cycle of electronic products has become problematic. To address this issue, development of eco-friendly and recyclable materials is important, but has not yet been fully investigated. In this study, we demonstrated hydrogel-based electrode materials composed of agarose and spherical activated carbon (agar/SAC) that are easy to shape and recycle. Versatile engineering processes were applied thanks to the reversible gelation of the agarose matrix which enables the design of soft electrodes into various shapes such as thin films with structural hierarchy, microfibers, and even three-dimensional structures. The reversible sol–gel transition characteristics of the agar matrix enables the retrieval of materials and subsequent re-configuration into different shapes and structures. The electrical properties of the agar/SAC composite gels were controlled by gel compositions and ionic strength in the gel matrix. Finally, the composite gel was cut and re-contacted, forming conformal contact to show immediate restoration of the conductivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Sik Kim
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea.
| | - Ju-Hyung Kim
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea.
| | - Younghyun Cho
- Department of Energy Systems, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31583, Korea.
| | - Tae Soup Shim
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea.
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