Wearable Self-Powered Biomedical Smart Sensors Deriving from E-Waste.

Abstract

Power requirements represent a critical challenge for wearable sensors. Self-powered sensing systems enabled by miniaturized energy-storage devices (MESDs) offer a promising solution. However, the proliferation of MESDs inevitably generates electronic waste (e-waste), which causes environmental concerns. Transient electronics that degrade into eco-friendly residuals provide opportunities for the development of green power sources. Herein, flexible e-waste-friendly power sources based on degradable MXene films were developed for the integration of wearable, self-powered biomedical sensors. The proposed transient MXene film-based supercapacitors (TMFSCs) possess good energy storage capability and mechanical flexibility and can be completely degraded into eco-friendly residuals within minutes. Furthermore, a wearable self-powered biomedical smart sensor was designed for real-time monitoring of pulse signals in real-life scenarios, and the obtained pulse rate is conducive to early evaluation of human health. Collectively, TMFSCs are considerably competitive for future eco-friendly flexible MESDs toward next-generation sustainable wearable and portable sensing electronics.