Abstract
A reactive-oxygen-species-responsive (ROS-responsive) conductive hydrogel sensor is developed for cancer detection using degradable TiO2/MXene-integrated polymer dots (PD-MX/TiO2) that could generate heat and control conductivity. During contact between hydrogel and H2O2, the loaded MXene (MX) is oxidized, resulting in formation of TiO2 and a change in MX dimensional conformation, conductivity, and light-to-heat generation. Interestingly, the presence of visible light accelerates this process owing to photocatalytic properties of TiO2. Furthermore, the resistivity of hydrogel changes from 27.5 to 72.0 and 48.1 kΩ after H2O2 treatment and visible-light irradiation, respectively. The hydrogel exhibits a distinct resistance signal during its deformation at x, y, and z axes of the three-dimensional axis, with a mean signal of 22.2%, 15.3%, and 7.2%, respectively. The in vitro analysis of cancer cells displays a distinguishable detection result for CHO-K1, HeLa, and PC-3, exhibiting electrical resistance of 62.9, 123.8, and 121.7 kΩ, respectively. Furthermore, light-to-heat conversion in the PD-MX/TiO2 Hydrogel decreases to 9.7 °C (HeLa) and 9.7 °C (PC-3) compare to that of the normal cells (17.3 °C). It is demonstrated that the hydrogel could be used for direct diagnosis when linked with a wireless apparatus, thus facilitating accurate and rapid evaluation of cancer microenvironment.
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