Thin,Millimeter Scale Fingernail Sensors for Thermal Characterization of Nail Bed Tissue |
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| Authors: | Yajing Li Yinji Ma Chen Wei Haiwen Luan Shuai Xu Mengdi Han Hangbo Zhao Cunman Liang Quansan Yang Yiyuan Yang Kaitlyn E Crawford Xue Feng Yonggang Huang John A Rogers |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Bio‐Integrated Electronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA;2. Department of Engineering Mechanics, Center for Mechanics and Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China;3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA;4. Center for Bio‐Integrated Electronics, Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA;5. Center for Bio‐Integrated Electronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA;6. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA;7. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Skin Disease Research Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA;8. Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Neurological Surgery, Center for Bio‐Integrated Electronics, Simpson Querrey Institute for Nano/biotechnology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA |
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| Abstract: | Thin, flexible, body‐worn technologies that allow precise, quantitative monitoring of physiological status are of broad current interest due to their potential to improve the cost and effectiveness of healthcare. Although the surface of the skin represents one of the most widely explored points of integration, recently developed millimeter scale wireless sensor platforms allow deployment on alternative surfaces of the body, such as the finger/toenails and the teeth. The work described here introduces a collection of ideas in materials science, device engineering and computational techniques that enables precise characterization of the thermal transport characteristics of the nail bed tissue from measurements on the surface of the nail. Systematic in vitro studies demonstrate the underlying measurement principles, the theoretical models for optimized sensor design and the associated experimental procedures for determining the thermal conductivity of the tissue. Measurements performed on human subjects highlight capabilities in tracking changes in perfusion of the nail bed tissues in response to various external stimuli. |
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| Keywords: | fingernail devices flexible electronics noninvasive biomedical applications perfusion tracking thermal sensors |
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