The presentation will discuss the status and potential of textile- and tattoo-based flexible screen-printed electrochemical sensors. The portable nature and low power demands of electrochemical system satisfy many of the requirements for on-body sensing. Miniaturized electrochemical systems offer tremendous potential for obtaining the desired analytical information in a faster, simpler (“user-friendly”), and cheaper manner compared to traditional laboratory-based assays. Thick-film (screen-printing) microfabrication has been widely used for mass production of highly reproducible electrochemical sensors (e.g., glucose strips for diabetics). This process has recently been applied for printing flexible electrochemical sensors but not in connection to common textiles and garments. The integration of printable sensors directly onto fabrics and garments, such as those described in this presentation, would provide the wearers with the ability to continuously assess their health and condition. Since the performance of textile- and tattoo-based electrochemical sensors is directly related to the printing quality, it is imperative that the printing protocol and ink formulation be tailored for the specific substrate material.

         The presentation will review recent advances in developing flexible printable textile- and tattoo-based electrochemical sensors. We will describe the preparation and characterization of various textile-based and skin-worn electrochemical sensors, will illustrate their favorable electrochemical behavior and examine the influence of the clothing stretching and folding upon their sensing performance. Such mechanical stress studies indicate that textile-based printed electrochemical sensors survive large deformations. Technical challenges and prospects for using textile- and tattoo-based electrochemical sensors for monitoring the wearer’s health, fitness, or surrounding environment will be discussed, along with several demonstrations and prospects for future healthcare and sport applications.