Recent progress for nanotechnology-based flexible sensors for biomedical applications

Abstract Along with the usage of sensors for ubiquitous monitoring of different applications, flexible sensors have become a cornerstone in the sensing world. Circumventing the issues faced by microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based semiconducting sensors, flexible sensing prototypes have been developed with enhanced electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Researchers have worked on the processing materials and fabrication techniques to a large extent to develop these sensors. Among the key sectors where these prototypes are employed for, biomedical sensing is the pivotal one. Different kinds of extrinsic and intrinsic acute and chronic issues are being monitored and dealt with using flexible sensors. The types of prototypes being issued to deal with medical applications differ in terms of size, operating principle, and efficiency. The use of nanotechnology has dramatically influenced the fabrication and implementation of flexible sensors. Nanoparticles ranging from a few microns to a few nanoparticles are being used to form the sensing parts of the prototypes. With the reduction in the size of the materials, nanoparticles have provided an optimized version of sensing prototypes that can be used for biomedical applications. The inclusion of nanoparticles to form the sensors has led to an increase in their involvement in many in-vivo applications, which can be monitored and cured in a more precise manner. This chapter presents some of the significant works that have been done recently in the field of fabrication of nanotechnology-based flexible sensors. These sensors have been employed in a range of biomedical applications, including physiological parameters, body movements, and chemical changes happening in the body. Finally, a market survey is provided to showcase the utilization of nanotechnology-based flexible sensors for biomedical applications and estimating their rise in the upcoming years.