Smart facemask for wireless CO2 monitoring

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 72 - 12
• Main Authors: Escobedo, P., Fernández-Ramos, M. D., López-Ruiz, N., Moyano-Rodríguez, O., Martínez-Olmos, A., Pérez de Vargas-Sansalvador, I. M., Carvajal, M. A., Capitán-Vallvey, L. F., Palma, A. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 10.01.2022; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Chemical sensors; Data processing; Disease control; Performance tests; Real time; Rebreathing; Sensors; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Side effects; Smartphones
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27733-3

Abstract The use of facemasks by the general population is recommended worldwide to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Despite the evidence in favour of facemasks to reduce community transmission, there is also agreement on the potential adverse effects of their prolonged usage, mainly caused by CO 2 rebreathing. Herein we report the development of a sensing platform for gaseous CO 2 real-time determination inside FFP2 facemasks. The system consists of an opto-chemical sensor combined with a flexible, battery-less, near-field-enabled tag with resolution and limit of detection of 103 and 140 ppm respectively, and sensor lifetime of 8 h, which is comparable with recommended FFP2 facemask usage times. We include a custom smartphone application for wireless powering, data processing, alert management, results displaying and sharing. Through performance tests during daily activity and exercise monitoring, we demonstrate its utility for non-invasive, wearable health assessment and its potential applicability for preclinical research and diagnostics.