A Beetle-Inspired Condensation Interface for Efficient Exhaled Breath Condensate Collection in an Externally Integrated Mask-Based Prototype

作者：Zixiang Li, Renjing Fan, Qi Zhao, Ling Tang, Xia Liu, Yiran Jing, Cihui Liu, Fang Fang, Jingjing Zheng, Hui Xie · 发表于：ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1021/acsami.6c08852 · 研究领域：Inhalation and Respiratory Drug Delivery、3D Printing in Biomedical Research、Advanced Chemical Sensor Technologies

Exhaled breath and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) contain physiologically relevant gaseous and ionic biomarkers and provide a noninvasive route for respiratory-state assessment. However, practical mask-based proof-of-concept readout remains limited by inefficient condensate harvesting and the lack of coordinated multichannel readout. Here, we present an externally integrated, beetle-inspired mask-based prototype that couples a heterogeneous-wettability condensation interface with time-aligned multichannel respiratory readout. The condensation interface consists of hydrophilic nucleation sites on micropillar tops and a superhydrophobic background on the pillar sidewalls and substrate, enabling preferential droplet nucleation and rapid droplet removal. Under matched test conditions, this biomimetic surface achieves a substantially higher EBC collection rate per unit area than smooth, nanocoated, and single-structure control surfaces while maintaining a stable advantage across variations in temperature, humidity, and inclination angle. An externally integrated acquisition module is further used to record real-time gas-phase CO2 and acetone signals together with a time-aligned condensate-derived EBC pH readout under a standardized workflow. The three-channel system shows good repeatability, acceptable environmental robustness, and long-term stability in bench-level evaluation. In a small pilot cohort, human monitoring further suggested state-associated temporal differences among...