Laser fabrication of epidermal paper-based graphene sensors

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for epidermal sensors that can adapt to the contours and the movements of the human body, but the fabrication of prevalent polymer-based epidermal sensors often involves costly materials and complex procedures. Paper has emerged as a cost-effective substrate for next-generation epidermal sensors, featuring such advantages as bendability, breathability, biocompatibility, and environment-friendliness. However, transducing materials are commonly introduced to paper substrates in post hoc manners or through time-consuming syntheses, in addition to the direct manufacturing of paper. Here we report an integrative method to fabricate epidermal paper-based graphene sensors, where graphene induction and paper cutting can be achieved in a single lasing procedure to generate both transducing components and overall sensor formats. Lasing conditions are systematically explored, mainly to control the multifaceted properties of the obtained graphene transducers. The resultant paper-based graphene structures exhibit sufficient reliability in various scenarios regarding storage, lighting, and deformation. Paper-based graphene sensors are strategically designed in terms of overall formats, geometric patterns, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, surface functionalization, and readouts for measuring biophysical and biochemical information relevant to human health. The sensor performance can be optimized by adjusting laser power, and the calibrated sensitivities for mechanical strain, temperature, humidity, pH, and glucose are 76.93, –0.15% °C–1, 37.06 μA %–1, 28.13 mV pH–1, and 1.26 μA mM–1, respectively. Multimodal health monitoring is demonstrated with paper-based graphene sensors. Our approach can facilitate the generation of epidermal paper-based sensors and meet diverse requirements of health monitoring.