Abstract
Breathalyzers estimate Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) from the concentration of ethanol in the breath. Breathalyzers are easy to use but are limited either by their high price and by environmental concerns, or by a short lifetime and the need for continuous recalibration. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept disposable breathalyzer using an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) modified with alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) as the sensor. The OECT is made with the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and is printed on paper. ADH and its cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) are immobilized onto the OECT with an electrolyte gel. When the OECT-breathalyzer is exposed to ethanol vapor, the enzymatic reaction of ADH and ethanol transforms NAD+ into NADH, which causes a decrease in the OECT source drain current. In this fashion, the OECT-breathalyzer easily detects ethanol in the breath equivalent to BAC from 0.01% to 0.2%. The use of a printed OECT may contribute to the development of breathalyzers that are disposable, ecofriendly, and integrated with wearable devices for real-time BAC monitoring.
Highlights
Aid the development of a breathalyzer that is easy-to-use, inexpensive, calibrated, and can be coupled with a cell-phone or a smart watch for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) self-testing to reduce alcohol related traffic accidents
The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and its cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) are trapped in a collagen-based gel deposited onto the channel of the OECT (Fig. 1B)
The electrons produced by the NADH oxidation are collected from the gate electrode of the OECT-breathalyzer (Fig. 2A), and cause a shift of the applied gate potential to the channel/electrolyte interface, leading to a decrease in Id14
Summary
Aid the development of a breathalyzer that is easy-to-use, inexpensive, calibrated, and can be coupled with a cell-phone or a smart watch for BAC self-testing to reduce alcohol related traffic accidents. Breathing onto the device enables detection of ethanol concentration in the breath (Fig. 1A). The printed OECT on paper has planar geometry with channel, source (S), drain (D), and gate (G) electrodes made of PEDOT:PSS (Fig. 1B), a structure that is compatible with rapid, one-step fabrication of the device.
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