Bandage-Based Wearable Potentiometric Sensor for Monitoring Wound pH

A new wearable electrochemical sensor for monitoring the pH of wounds is introduced. The device is based on the judicious incorporation of a screen-printed pH potentiometric sensor into bandages. The fabrication of this sensor, which uses an electropolymerized polyaniline (PANi) conducting polymer for pH sensing, combines the screen-printing fabrication methodology with all-solid-state potentiometry for implementation of both the reference and the working electrodes. The pH bandage sensor displays a Nernstian response over a physiologically relevant pH range (5.5-8), with a noteworthy selectivity in the presence of physiological levels of most common ions. The bandage-embedded sensor can track pH fluctuations with no apparent carry-over effect. The sensor displays good resiliency against mechanical stress, along with superior repeatability and reproducibility. The in vitro performance of the device was successfully evaluated using buffer solutions emulating the composition of a wound. The novel pH-sensitive bandages facilitate new avenues towards the realization of telemedicine.