A Diaper-Embedded Disposable Nitrite Sensor with Integrated On-Board Urine-Activated Battery for UTI Screening

Abstract

This paper reports on a low-cost solution to the early detection of urinary nitrite, a common surrogate for urinary tract infection (UTI). We present a facile method to fabricate a disposable and flexible colorimetric [1] nitrite sensor and its urine-activated power source [2] on a hydrophobic (wax) paper through laser-assisted patterning and lamination. The sensor and power source, integrated with interface circuitry and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) module, can be embedded onto a diaper and transmit quantitative UTI monitoring information in a point-of-care and autonomous fashion. The nitrite sensing platform achieves a sensitivity of 1.35ms/(mg/L) and a detection limit of 4mg/L.