WS2-QDs Decorated RGO Lattice on e-textile: Development of Ultrasensitive Wearable Quantum Thermometer

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel, flexible, and highly sensitive wearable temperature sensor based on WS2-QDs/RGO heterostructure, capable of accurate body temperature measurement with rapid response, stability, and potential for health monitoring applications.

Contribution

The development of the first WS2-QDs based temperature sensor integrated on textile, demonstrating high sensitivity, flexibility, and real-time human body temperature monitoring.

Findings

Sensor measures temperature with ~0.06K resolution.

Fast response and recovery times (~1.4s and 1.7s).

Successfully tested on human subjects with high accuracy.

Abstract

We report the fabrication and human trial of a novel wearable temperature sensor based on WS2-QDs/RGO; which performs instant measurement like thermometer in a wide temperature range: 77K-398 K, in both static- and instant mode. The device is simple, scalable, flexible and cost-effective, where nanoscience and technology played a vital role behind its concept and realization. The WS2-QDs/RGO heterostructure is developed by decorating WS2-QDs on pre-RGO coated cotton textile. In static mode, the crucial parameters such as temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and thermal hysteresis (Hth) were analyzed in depth to get the intricate mechanism behind the working of a temperature sensor; and check its worthiness to be a better candidate in the field of temperature sensor. Temperature sensing data at both high- and low temperatures are very much encouraging; and endorses its viability. Human trial is conducted to make reliable and hassle free temperature monitoring like thermometer where the sensor device is found capable to measure accurate body temperature with exceptional resolution i.e. the minimum change in temperature the device can measure is ~0.06K in addition to, fast response- and recovery time ~1.4 s and 1.7 s respectively. In every sense, the developed sensor has exhibited highest degree of superiority vis-a-vis its counterpart commercial thermometer used in healthcare. Besides, the device has passed through all deformation test successfully and proved its mettle. This sensor device proved its flexibility and stability under various mechanical deformation(s), showing its promising potential for future generation wearable health monitoring devices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on WS2 in general, and WS2-QDs, in specific, based temperature sensing device and its operational demonstration as of now.