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A graphene-based electrochemical device with thermoresponsive microneedles for diabetes monitoring and therapy

Nature Nanotechnology volume 11, pages 566–572 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Owing to its high carrier mobility, conductivity, flexibility and optical transparency, graphene is a versatile material in micro- and macroelectronics. However, the low density of electrochemically active defects in graphene synthesized by chemical vapour deposition limits its application in biosensing. Here, we show that graphene doped with gold and combined with a gold mesh has improved electrochemical activity over bare graphene, sufficient to form a wearable patch for sweat-based diabetes monitoring and feedback therapy. The stretchable device features a serpentine bilayer of gold mesh and gold-doped graphene that forms an efficient electrochemical interface for the stable transfer of electrical signals. The patch consists of a heater, temperature, humidity, glucose and pH sensors and polymeric microneedles that can be thermally activated to deliver drugs transcutaneously. We show that the patch can be thermally actuated to deliver Metformin and reduce blood glucose levels in diabetic mice.

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Figure 1: Schematic drawings and corresponding images of the GP-hybrid electrochemical devices and thermoresponsive drug delivery microneedles.
Figure 2: Electrochemical, mechanical and electrical characterization of the Au mesh, Au film and GP-hybrid.
Figure 3: Electrochemical and electrical characterization of individual devices and their combined operation in vitro.
Figure 4: Demonstration of the wearable diabetes monitoring and therapy system in vivo.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by IBS-R006-D1.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Hyunjae Lee, Tae Kyu Choi and Young Bum Lee: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, 151-742, Republic of Korea

    Hyunjae Lee, Tae Kyu Choi, Young Bum Lee, Hye Rim Cho, Taeghwan Hyeon, Seung Hong Choi & Dae-Hyeong Kim

  2. School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Republic of Korea

    Hyunjae Lee, Tae Kyu Choi, Young Bum Lee, Taeghwan Hyeon & Dae-Hyeong Kim

  3. Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea

    Hye Rim Cho & Seung Hong Choi

  4. MC10, 10 Maguire Rd., Lexington, 02140, Massachusetts, USA

    Roozbeh Ghaffari

  5. Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Center for Mechanics of Solids, Structures and Materials, Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, 210 E 24th Street, Austin, 78712, Texas, USA

    Liu Wang & Nanshu Lu

  6. Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea

    Hyung Jin Choi

  7. Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-747, Republic of Korea

    Taek Dong Chung

  8. Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Gyeonggi-do, 443-270, Republic of Korea

    Taek Dong Chung

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Contributions

H.L., T.K.C., Y.B.L. and D.-H.K. designed the experiments. H.L., T.K.C., Y.B.L., H.R.C., L.W., H.J.C., T.D.J., N. L., T.H., S.H.C. and D.-H.K. performed experiments and analysis. H.L., T.K.C., Y.B.L., H.J.C., R. G., T.D.J., N. L., T.H., S.H.C. and D.-H.K. wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Dae-Hyeong Kim.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Lee, H., Choi, T., Lee, Y. et al. A graphene-based electrochemical device with thermoresponsive microneedles for diabetes monitoring and therapy. Nature Nanotech 11, 566–572 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2016.38

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