Multifunctional laser-induced graphene circuits and laser-printed nanomaterials toward non-invasive human kidney function monitoring

Abstract

Faced with the increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), portable monitoring of CKD-related biomarkers such as potassium ion (K⁺), creatinine (Cre), and lactic acid (Lac) levels in sweat has shown tremendous potential for early diagnosis. However, a rapidly manufacturable portable device integrating multiple CKD-related biomarker sensors for ease of sweat testing use has yet to be reported. Here, a portable electrochemical sensor integrated with multifunctional laser-induced graphene (LIG) circuits and laser-printed nanomaterials based working electrodes fabricated by fully automatic laser manufacturing is proposed for non-invasive human kidney function monitoring. The sensor comprises a two-electrode LIG circuit for K⁺ sensing, a three-electrode LIG circuit with a Kelvin compensating connection for Cre and Lac sensing, and a printed circuit board based portable electrochemical workstation. The working electrodes containing Cu and Cu₂O nanoparticles fabricated by two-step laser printing show good sensitivity and selectivity toward Cre and Lac sensing. The sensor circuits are fabricated by generating a hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface on a patterned LIG through laser. This sensor recruited rapid laser manufacturing and integrated with multifunctional LIG circuits and laser-printed nanomaterials based working electrodes, which is a potential kidney function monitoring solution for healthy people and kidney disease patients.

Keywords: Kidney function monitoring; Laser manufacturing; Laser-induced graphene circuit; Laser-printed nanomaterials; Portable sensors.