A hybrid thread-based temperature and humidity sensor for continuous wound monitoring

Abstract

Textile humidity and temperature sensors have a wide range of applications in clothing, management of wounds, and monitoring of patient health. Here, we present a multi-step roll to roll dip-coating method to produce meters of nano-particle infused cotton threads with fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) coating. The FEP coating deconvolutes the dependency of temperature readings on humidity. A hybrid temperature and humidity sensor was then constructed by integrating FEP-coated threads and non-coated threads into a sensing substrate. The developed sensing platform enables rapid measurement of RH in the range of 30–80% and temperature changes in the range of 20–90 °C with a shelf life of up to six months. To showcase the feasibility of using the sensor in wound monitoring, the RH and temperature sensors were integrated into custom-made silicone-based wound dressings. The thread-based sensors do not have any negative impacts on cells indicating suitability for application in wound healing. • A multi-step roll to roll dip-coating method is presented to produce meters of nano-particle infused cotton threads for temperature and humidity sensing. • Sensors rapidly measured relative humidity in the range of 30–80 % and temperature changes in the range of 20–90 °C with a shelf life of up to six months. • The sensors integrated into custom-made silicone-based wound dressings did not exhibit any negative impacts on cells or on the wound healing process.