Scientists in Australia have developed an optical sensor to be used in wound dressings that signals when a patient’s wound is inflamed or infected.
The sensor, made from polymer-grafted porous silicon, detects a small increase in temperature, which is a classic indication of wound infection. Early diagnosis of infection could be achieved by monitoring the reflectance spectrum of the sensor.
Above a critical temperature value, the polymer changes from a hydrophilic coil to a hydrophobic globule, resulting in changes in its optical properties which are detected by reflectance spectroscopy.
To read more about this work, download the article now…
Study of the Optical Properties of Thermoresponsive Polymer Grafted from Porous silicon scaffolds
S Pace et al., New J. Chem., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2nj40693d
