Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Nov 2020)

A Hydrogel-Based Ultrasonic Backscattering Wireless Biochemical Sensing

  • Juhong Nam,
  • Eunjeong Byun,
  • Hyunji Shim,
  • Esther Kim,
  • Sayemul Islam,
  • Moonchul Park,
  • Albert Kim,
  • Seung Hyun Song

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.596370
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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Wireless monitoring of the physio-biochemical information is becoming increasingly important for healthcare. In this work, we present a proof-of-concept hydrogel-based wireless biochemical sensing scheme utilizing ultrasound. The sensing system utilizes silica-nanoparticle embedded hydrogel deposited on a thin glass substrate, which presents two prominent interfaces for ultrasonic backscattering (tissue/glass and hydrogel/glass). To overcome the effect of the varying acoustic properties of the intervening biological tissues between the sensor and the external transducer, we implemented a differential mode of ultrasonic back-scattering. Here, we demonstrate a wireless pH measurement with a resolution of 0.2 pH level change and a wireless sensing range around 10 cm in a water tank.

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