Inkjet-printed, functional heterolayers of ZnO@CuO for stoma pouch monitoring

Abstract

Many bowel cancer patients are in need of an artificial stoma as part of their surgical treatment, and associated post-surgical odors caused by leaking stoma pouches may lead to social isolation, which is why inconspicuous monitoring of this situation is important for affected persons. The integration of micro-and nanotechnology may offer low-cost, low-power consuming and small solutions to this challenge. To this end, we present an inkjet-printed, heterostructured gas sensor that has been built by incorporating nanosized p-type semiconducting CuO in a porous n-type ZnO matrix. The functional layer is fabricated using a combination of a colloidal suspension and sol-gel approach optimized for inkjet printing thus offering an industry-ready method for integration of nanomaterials in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) structures. Using a thermal modulation scheme we enhance the information content and classify different events. We demonstrate that a simple MEMS device using a novel hetero-nanomaterial may be used to reliably identify situations where stoma pouch content escapes.

Additive manufacturing of promising heterostructure for biomedical applications

“…As discussed in the previous section, the superior performances of heterostructure are attributed to the heterogeneity of structure or components [82]. Therefore, it is critical to select appropriate materials to develop heterostructure.…”