Tailored Polypyrrole Nanofibers as Ion-to-Electron Transduction Membranes for Wearable K + Sensors.

Conductive polymers are recognized as ideal candidates for the development of noninvasive and wearable sensors for real-time monitoring of potassium ions (K ⁺ ) in sweat to ensure the health of life. However, the low ion-to-electron transduction efficiency and limited active surface area hamper the development of high-performance sensors for low-concentration K ⁺ detection in the sweat. Herein, a wearable K ⁺ sensor is developed by tailoring the nanostructure of polypyrrole (PPy), serving as an ion-to-electron transduction layer, for accurately and stably tracing the K ⁺ fluctuation in human sweat. The PPy nanostructures can be tailored from nanospheres to nanofibers by controlling the supramolecular assembly process during PPy polymerization. Resultantly, the ion-to-electron transduction efficiency (17-fold increase in conductivity) and active surface area (1.3-fold enhancement) are significantly enhanced, accompanied by minimized water layer formation. The optimal PPy nanofibers-based K ⁺ sensor achieved a high sensitivity of 62 mV decade ^-1 , good selectivity, and solid stability. After being integrated with a temperature sensor, the manufactured wearable sensor realized accurate monitoring of K ⁺ fluctuation in the human sweat.
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