Pai-Yen Chen develops new nano-sensors, incorporates it into next-gen heart rate monitor
Pai-Yen Chen develops new nano-sensors, incorporates it into next-gen heart rate monitor Heading link
Professor Pai-Yen and three UIC students, Zhilu Ye, Minye Yang, and Yichong Ren, published a paper earlier this year on a new nanomaterial that increases durability in wearable electronic devices, then received a grant to develop a heart-rate monitor incorporating the new material.
Chen published his research, “Phase-separated porous nanocomposite with ultralow percolation threshold for wireless bioelectronics,” in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
The new nanomaterial
Wearable biomedical devices require soft, conducive, and strain-resilient materials, but they tend to break down with use and lose their ability to conduct electricity over time. In response, Chen and his collaborator Zheng Yan, an associate professor at the University of Missouri, developed a phase-separated nanocomposite nanomaterial that dissipates stress and adapts to strain. They paired a silver nanowire assembly with near-field communication technologies that provide battery-free wireless power and data transmission ideal for both implanted and monitoring devices that adhere to the skin.
NSF grant
Chen and Zhang used their new material to develop a wearable, real-time, continuous wireless cardiac monitor for home use. The duo was awarded $550,000 by the National Science Foundation to develop this technology.
Current wearable devices typically provide a single-lead ECG, are susceptible to motion-induced inaccuracies, and aren’t designed for long-term use. This project focuses on developing soft, breathable, wearable six-lead heart monitors, which are anti-microbial and stick well to a patient’s skin.
“This project is within one of the ECE department’s focus areas, nanomanufacturing and bioelectronics,” Professor and Department head Daniela Tuninetti said.
Heart disease is one of the primary causes of death in the United States, resulting in approximately 655,000 deaths annually, and is responsible for over $219 billion in healthcare costs per year. While smart devices can track heart rates, more complex monitoring is needed for patients with heart disease, and current technologies for home monitoring are bulky and expensive.
Ambulatory, real-time, long-term electrocardiogram (ECG) using wearable devices outside of clinical environments is essential for early detection and intervention of heart conditions. The market for such devices is expected to grow from $1.95 billion in 2022to $3.43 billion by 2027.
“This solution will benefit patients, healthcare providers, and the medical community by enabling more effective early detection and management of heart conditions,” Chen said.
The project “NSF PFI-TT: Six-Lead, Wearable Heart Monitors Based on Multifunctional, Porous, Soft Materials” will run through July 2026. Chen’s share of the grant is $200,000, plus a $25,000 grant to support students attending the 2025 MTT-S International Microwave Biomedical Conference (IMBioC) in Taiwan. Students interested in participating in IEEE IMBioC can contact Chen directly.