A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands
Abstract Smart hydrogels hold great promise as sensing elements that can be tailored to respond to a wide array of biomarkers and can be integrated with different readout modalities. However, a major challenge with these sensors is response time, which depends on the hydrogel swelling behavior and i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Advanced Sensor Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/adsr.202400134 |
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| author | Saeed Boroomand Navid Farhoudi Christopher F. Reiche Jules J. Magda Florian Solzbacher Lars B. Laurentius |
| author_facet | Saeed Boroomand Navid Farhoudi Christopher F. Reiche Jules J. Magda Florian Solzbacher Lars B. Laurentius |
| author_sort | Saeed Boroomand |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Smart hydrogels hold great promise as sensing elements that can be tailored to respond to a wide array of biomarkers and can be integrated with different readout modalities. However, a major challenge with these sensors is response time, which depends on the hydrogel swelling behavior and is limited by diffusion. While geometrical miniaturization can accelerate response time, it often requires complex readout systems to detect volume changes, which is detrimental for use in point‐of‐need (PoN) applications. This study introduces a novel approach for hydrogel‐based platforms that realizes important PoN requirements such as sensitivity, cost‐effectiveness, instrument‐free, and fast response time. The proposed sensing mechanism involves constraining a hydrogel strand at both ends and utilizing a visually observable buckling behavior instead of directly measuring a volume change. The sensing principle is validated by measuring glucose, an important biological analyte, and examines measurement repeatability, response time, sensitivity, and dynamic range. The performance is also demonstrated in blood and serum. The effects of design parameters such as strand length and diameter on sensor performance are also investigated. This new sensor offers a straightforward visual readout without requiring complex instrumentation, paving the way for more accessible and affordable PoN devices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4b4bcc463e824aa3b4590d61ebe66a71 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2751-1219 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Sensor Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-4b4bcc463e824aa3b4590d61ebe66a712025-08-20T02:58:00ZengWiley-VCHAdvanced Sensor Research2751-12192025-03-0143n/an/a10.1002/adsr.202400134A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel StrandsSaeed Boroomand0Navid Farhoudi1Christopher F. Reiche2Jules J. Magda3Florian Solzbacher4Lars B. Laurentius5Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City UT 84112 USADepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City UT 84112 USADepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City UT 84112 USADepartment of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City UT 84112 USADepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City UT 84112 USADepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City UT 84112 USAAbstract Smart hydrogels hold great promise as sensing elements that can be tailored to respond to a wide array of biomarkers and can be integrated with different readout modalities. However, a major challenge with these sensors is response time, which depends on the hydrogel swelling behavior and is limited by diffusion. While geometrical miniaturization can accelerate response time, it often requires complex readout systems to detect volume changes, which is detrimental for use in point‐of‐need (PoN) applications. This study introduces a novel approach for hydrogel‐based platforms that realizes important PoN requirements such as sensitivity, cost‐effectiveness, instrument‐free, and fast response time. The proposed sensing mechanism involves constraining a hydrogel strand at both ends and utilizing a visually observable buckling behavior instead of directly measuring a volume change. The sensing principle is validated by measuring glucose, an important biological analyte, and examines measurement repeatability, response time, sensitivity, and dynamic range. The performance is also demonstrated in blood and serum. The effects of design parameters such as strand length and diameter on sensor performance are also investigated. This new sensor offers a straightforward visual readout without requiring complex instrumentation, paving the way for more accessible and affordable PoN devices.https://doi.org/10.1002/adsr.202400134analyte sensingbiofluid analysisequipment‐free diagnosticsmanual readout sensorsmicrofluidic sensorspoint‐of‐need diagnostics |
| spellingShingle | Saeed Boroomand Navid Farhoudi Christopher F. Reiche Jules J. Magda Florian Solzbacher Lars B. Laurentius A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands Advanced Sensor Research analyte sensing biofluid analysis equipment‐free diagnostics manual readout sensors microfluidic sensors point‐of‐need diagnostics |
| title | A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands |
| title_full | A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands |
| title_fullStr | A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands |
| title_short | A Standalone and Quantitative Point‐of‐Need Testing Platform with Manual Readout Capability Based on Smart Hydrogel Strands |
| title_sort | standalone and quantitative point of need testing platform with manual readout capability based on smart hydrogel strands |
| topic | analyte sensing biofluid analysis equipment‐free diagnostics manual readout sensors microfluidic sensors point‐of‐need diagnostics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/adsr.202400134 |
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