Miniature Acoustic Resonator Induced In-Situ Electrode Foul Removal Enabling the Continuous Electrochemical Measurements

Biofouling of electrochemical electrodes in sweat hinders the development of wearable sweat sensors for real-time human health diagnosis. This article integrates miniature acoustic resonator in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip system for the in-situ cleaning of sweat fouled gold electrodes. Cyclic voltammograms were recorded to evaluate the electrode surface states. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy images were taken to evaluate the cleaning performances. Sweat fouling causes mountain and gully like contaminated structures on gold film electrodes and hinders its electroactive behavior. Miniature acoustic resonator induced fluid streaming can cause the in-situ removal of electrode biofoulings and result in the recovery of its electrochemical performance. This study opens an avenue to the development of regenerative electrochemical microfluidic sensors for continuous human sweat measurements.