Weaving Sensing Fibers into Electrochemical Fabric for Real-Time Health Monitoring

Wearable sensing technologies have received considerable interests due to the promising use for real-time monitoring of health conditions. The sensing part is typically made into a thin film that guarantees high flexibility with different sensing materials as functional units at different locations. However, a thin-film sensor easily breaks during use because it cannot adapt to the soft or irregular body surfaces, and, moreover, it is not breathable or comfortable for the wearable application. Herein, a new and general strategy of making electrochemical fabric from sensing fiber units is reported. These units efficiently detect a variety of physiological signals such as glucose, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and pH. The electrochemical fabric is highly flexible and maintains structural integrity and detection ability under repeated deformations, including bending and twisting. They demonstrate the capacity to monitor health conditions of human body in real time with high efficacy.