Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan 430072, China.
Anal Chem. 2017 Feb 7;89(3):2032-2038. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04616. Epub 2017 Jan 10.
Carbon nanotube (CNT)-based flexible sensors have been intensively developed for physical sensing. However, great challenges remain in fabricating stretchable CNT films with high electrochemical performance for real-time chemical sensing, due to large sheet resistance of CNT film and further resistance increase caused by separation between each CNT during stretching. Herein, we develop a facile and versatile strategy to construct single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs)-based stretchable and transparent electrochemical sensors, by coating and binding each SWNT with conductive polymer. As a polymer with high conductivity, good electrochemical activity, and biocompatibility, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) acting as a superior conductive coating and binder reduces contact resistance and greatly improves the electrochemical performance of SWNTs film. Furthermore, PEDOT protects the SWNTs junctions from separation during stretching, which endows the sensor with highly mechanical compliance and excellent electrochemical performance during big deformation. These unique features allow real-time monitoring of biochemical signals from mechanically stretched cells. This work represents an important step toward construction of a high performance CNTs-based stretchable electrochemical sensor, therefore broadening the way for stretchable sensors in a diversity of biomedical applications.
基于碳纳米管（CNT）的柔性传感器在物理传感方面得到了广泛的研究。然而，由于 CNT 薄膜的电阻较大，以及在拉伸过程中 CNT 之间的分离导致电阻进一步增加，因此在制造具有高电化学性能的可拉伸 CNT 薄膜以进行实时化学传感方面仍然存在巨大挑战。在这里，我们开发了一种简便而通用的策略，通过用导电聚合物涂覆和结合每个单壁碳纳米管（SWNT）来构建基于单壁碳纳米管（SWNT）的可拉伸透明电化学传感器。聚（3,4-亚乙基二氧噻吩）（PEDOT）作为一种具有高导电性、良好的电化学活性和生物相容性的聚合物，作为一种优越的导电涂层和结合剂，可以降低接触电阻，并极大地提高 SWNTs 薄膜的电化学性能。此外，PEDOT 可以防止 SWNTs 结在拉伸过程中分离，从而使传感器在大变形时具有高度的机械顺应性和出色的电化学性能。这些独特的特性使得能够实时监测机械拉伸细胞的生化信号。这项工作代表了构建高性能 CNT 基可拉伸电化学传感器的重要一步，因此为各种生物医学应用中的可拉伸传感器开辟了新途径。
