Bimetallic Fe/Co-MOF dispersed in a PVA/chitosan multi-matrix hydrogel as a flexible sensor for the detection of lactic acid in sweat samples.

Abstract

Anovel bimetallic Fe/Co-metal-organic framework (MOF) hydrogel-based wearable sweat sensorwas developed. Morphological and structural analysis of the hydrogel shows uniformly sized spines and spindle-shaped particles of the Fe/Co-MOF, and it has a high surface area (132.306 m2g-1) and porosity (0.059 cm3g-1) as confirmed by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) studies. The integration of the bimetallic MOF into a polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/CS)-mixed matrix resulted in a multiple network hydrogel. The optimisation study investigated the effects of different pH of the PBS electrolyte, scan rates, and accumulation time in voltammetry. The electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) provided information on the redox behaviour, electrochemical stability, and catalytic activity of the hydrogel. The sensor demonstrates a wide linear detection range from 0.05µM to 100mM, a superior sensitivity of 0.02mAmM-1cm-2, and a lower limit of detection of 0.01µM . Active sites distributed over the hydrogel surface, specifically Fe2+ and Co2+ within the MOF structure, catalyse the oxidation of L-lactic acid, resulting in electron transfer and the formation of pyruvic acid. Notably, the fabricated sensor exhibits high selectivity, effectively discriminating against interfering species such as uric acid, ascorbic acid, glucose, urea, dopamine, NaCl, and CaCl2. Real-time analysis conducted in a simulated sweat sample via the standard addition method resulted in good recovery percentages of a minimum of 98%. The work presented here is a versatile and simple platform for point-of-care testing, especially for athletes and military personnel.