IDE-Integrated Microneedle Arrays as Fully Biodegradable Platforms for Wearable/Implantable Capacitive Biosensing

Microneedle biosensors have emerged as a promising tool for in situ biomarker detection due to their minimally invasive nature and ability to interface with interstitial fluid (ISF). However, most previously demonstrated ones are limited to in situ detection of small molecules and ions, employing amperometry or potentiometry measurement techniques with electrical current or voltage output metrics, respectively, which may not be suitable for detecting large molecules, such as proteins. This letter presents an innovative approach utilizing a microneedle array integrated with an interdigitated electrode (MAIDE), enabling in situ capacitive detection and quantification of protein biomarkers. Following microneedle penetration, the interdigitated electrode array establishes direct contact with the solution, enabling real-time monitoring of interfacial capacitance modulations as the result of the binding reaction, leading to the acquisition of rich molecular data. Equivalent circuit model extraction followed by impedance spectroscopy for different concentrations of bovine serum albumin (BSA) indicated the suitability of the proposed platform in tracking the interfacial capacitance variations with respect to different BSA concentrations of 100, 10, and 1 µg/mL with a detection limit of 21 ng/mL. Furthermore, the device showed satisfactory results for biodegradability experiments where it disintegrated for a duration of 10 h. In addition, in vivo experiments show stable capacitance readings with (
dC/C
)% deviations less than 0.5%, indicating its potential for biodegradable wearable/implantable capacitive biosensing applications.