Disposable Electrochemical Sensor for Breath Biochemistry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring analytes in exhaled breath, such as hydrogen peroxide and blood glucose, are invasive, costly, and prone to errors due to instability and environmental factors, and existing wearable sensors are not suitable for continuous, non-invasive monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A disposable electrochemical sensor using a porous, flexible substrate with integrated electrodes and immobilized salt, allowing for differential electrochemical measurements to directly analyze exhaled breath without sample collection, correcting for background signals and environmental interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a glass-based chip is used as support for electrodes, then the sensor structure is stable, but the sensor becomes non-air-permeable and cannot be easily implemented as a wearable sensor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid glass-based chip with a flexible polymer film substrate that allows the sensor to be bent and conform to body contours, enabling wearable implementation while maintaining structural stability through the flexible but durable polymer material
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a porous polymer membrane as the support structure that is both air-permeable for breath analysis and mechanically stable, allowing simultaneous achievement of breath condensate collection and structural integrity for wearable use
2Measurement precision
If a complex device with conventional exhaled breath supply and conditioning unit is used, then the sensor can measure analytes, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the breath collection, condensate formation, and electrochemical measurement functions into a single integrated sensor unit, eliminating the need for separate breath supply and conditioning units while maintaining measurement precision through the direct condensation and detection mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer-based sensor substrate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the structural support, the breath condensate collection medium, and the platform for electrochemical detection, thereby simplifying the overall device architecture
3Measurement precision
If hydrogen peroxide is measured in exhaled breath using conventional methods, then the analyte can be detected, but the measurement is prone to errors due to instability and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent collects exhaled breath condensate on the sensor surface before measurement, pre-concentrating the hydrogen peroxide and other analytes in a controlled environment that protects them from environmental degradation, thereby improving both detection accuracy and measurement stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a polymer-based electrolyte membrane as an intermediary that facilitates the electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide while protecting it from direct exposure to environmental factors that cause oxidation and degradation, ensuring more reliable and stable measurements
4Ease of manufacture
If a disposable sensor is used, then the cost is reduced and contamination is prevented, but the sensor may be less durable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable polymer-based sensor design that is inexpensive to manufacture using simple processes, allowing single-use deployment that prevents cross-contamination while the low cost enables frequent replacement, making the limited durability acceptable for the intended application
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continuous, non-invasive, and cost-effective monitoring of multiple analytes in exhaled breath, providing accurate and reliable results through differential electrochemical detection.
Implementation Method 1
The salt is hygroscopic, such that the porous substrate stays wet
Implementation Method 2
a sensing (analyte-sensitive) and a blank (analyte-insensitive) electrode in order to isolate and remove the background signals
Implementation Method 3
a salt is incorporated, and which can be wetted in contact with the exhaled breath, acting simultaneously as sample collection (sampling) method, as an electrolyte and as a support for the electrode structures
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to an electrochemical method and an electrochemical sensor for breath analysis of single or multiple analytes using a porous, preferably flexible and disposable supporting material, wherein a salt is incorporated, and which can be wetted in contact with the exhaled breath condensate, acting simultaneously as sampling method, as an electrolyte and as a support for the electrode structures. In some embodiments the salt may be hygroscopic, such that the porous substrate stays wet. To ensure that the obtained signal originates from the analyte, the electrochemical sensor preferably exhibits a differential electrode design, comprising a sensing (analyte-sensitive) and a blank (analyte-insensitive) electrode in order to isolate and remove the background signals.