Flexible molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for cortisol monitoring in sweat

A selective cortisol sensor based on molecularly imprinted poly(glycidylmethacrylate-co ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (poly(GMA-co-EGDMA)) has been demonstrated for detection of cortisol in human sweat. The non-enzymatic biomimetric flexible sweat sensor was fabricated inexpensively by layer by layer (LbL) assembly. The sensor layers comprised a stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) base with carbon nanotubes-cellulose nanocrystals (CNC/CNT) conductive nanoporous nanofilms. The imprinted (MIP) poly(GMA-co-EGDMA) deposited on the CNC/CNT was the cortisol biomimetric receptor. Rapid in analyte response (3 min), the cortisol MIP sensor demonstrated excellent performance. The sensor has a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.0 ng/mL ± 0.4 ng/mL, dynamic range of 10–66 ng/mL, and a sensor reproducibility of 2.6% relative standard deviation (RSD). The MIP sensor also had high cortisol specificity and was inherently blind to selected interfering species including glucose, epinephrine, β-estradiol, and methoxyprogestrone. The MIP was four orders of magnitude more sensitive than its non-imprinted (NIP) counterpart. The MIP sensor remains stable over time, responding proportionately to doses of cortisol in human sweat. Graphical abstract