J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2023, Vol. 151: 99-108.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2022.12.031

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Anti-fatigue ionic gels for long-term multimodal respiratory abnormality monitoring

Xiang-Jun Zhaa,c,1, Jian-Bo Lib,1, Guo-Peng Liangb, Jun-Hong Pua, Zhong-Wei Zhangb, Bo Wangb, Ji-Gang Huange, Jin Jiaa, Xin Zhaoa, Kai-Qi Pand, Mei-Ling Dongb, Kai Kea, Yan Kangb,*, Wei Yanga,*   

  1. aCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China;
    bDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37 Guo Xue Xiang St, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China;
    cLaboratory of Liver Transplantation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China;
    dCentre for Advanced Macromolecular Design and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;
    eSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China
  • Received:2022-08-27 Revised:2022-11-28 Accepted:2022-12-14 Published:2023-07-10 Online:2023-02-16
  • Contact: * E-mail addresses: kangyan@scu.edu.cn (Y. Kang), weiyang@scu.edu.cn (W. Yang).
  • About author:1 These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Wearable electronics integrated with stretchable sensors are considered a promising and non-invasive strategy to monitor respiratory status for health assessment. However, long-term and stable monitoring of respiratory abnormality is still a grand challenge. Here, we report a facile one-step thermal stretching strategy to fabricate an anti-fatigue ionic gel (AIG) sensor with high fatigue threshold (Γ0 = 1130 J m-2), high stability (> 20,000 cycles), high linear sensitivity, and recyclability. A multimodal wearable respiratory monitoring system (WRMS) developed with AIG sensors can continuously measure respiratory abnormality (single-sensor mode) and compliance (multi-sensor mode) by monitoring the movement of the ribcage and abdomen in a long-term manner. For single-sensor mode, the respiratory frequency (Fr), respiratory energy (Er), and inspire/expire time (I/E ratio) can be extracted to evaluate the respiratory status during sitting, sporting, and sleeping. Further, the multi-sensors mode is developed to evaluate patient-ventilator asynchrony through validated clinical criteria by monitoring the incongruous movement of the chest and abdomen, which shows great potential for both daily home care and clinical applications.

Key words: Anti-fatigue ionic gels, Wearable electronics, Multimodal respiratory monitoring