Nanocomposite Hydrogel-Based Optical Fiber Probe for Continuous Glucose Sensing

Diabetes mellitus (DM) presents a substantial global health concern due to elevated blood glucose levels, necessitating an affordable, rapid, and reliable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) solution. In this pursuit, a pioneering approach is introduced utilizing optical fiber (OF) sensors based on nanocomposite photonic hydrogel functionalized with phenylboronic acid (PBA) for precise CGM. The fabrication of OF sensors involves a streamlined process, involving one-step polymerization of PBA-based hydrogel onto a commercial fiber tip and the integration of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via a simple dipping process. These sensors offer robust performance within the physiological glucose range (0–20 mm), exhibiting a remarkable 25% increase in transmission intensity and a 4 nm blue shift in the surface plasmon resonance with increasing glucose concentration. Additionally, there is a noticeable elevation in reflection intensity, affirming the sensor's suitability for remote sensing applications. These results are further validated using a green laser, underlining the method's reliability. The sensors exhibit a swift 30 s response time, followed by a 5 min saturation period, for all measurements. Practicality is demonstrated through smartphone readouts, utilizing the phone's photodiode to measure optical power changes concerning various glucose concentrations. These OF sensors hold great promise for CGM integration, enhancing diabetic management.