Wang, Darren; Ge, Ruijian; Dong, Shuda; Lyu, Zhongming; Wang, Yusheng; Strymish, Nicholas; Fan, Hanwen; Maldonado, Fabien; Demarest, Caitlin T.; Zhou, Yuxiao; Dong, Xiaoguang. (2026).听.听Advanced Materials Technologies.听
Airway stents help keep blocked or narrowed airways open, but mucus buildup can clog them and cause breathing problems. Current monitoring methods, such as CT scans, provide only occasional assessments and involve radiation. Inspired by the airflow-sensing abilities of biological cilia, we developed a sensor that can adjust its sensitivity and measurement range using a magnetic field. This allows it to detect small changes at low airflow while accurately measuring higher airflow without signal saturation. The sensor was incorporated into a wireless, ring-shaped system and integrated with an airway stent for continuous airflow monitoring and detection of mucus-related blockage. Tests in artificial trachea models and isolated sheep lungs showed reliable monitoring of airflow and stent openness under physiologically relevant conditions. This technology could enable smart airway stents that continuously detect obstruction and support more timely, personalized patient care.
FIGURE 1
Concept of the reconfigurable airflow sensor integrated into a self-expandable airway stent. (A) Schematic illustration of the sensory ring incorporating a reconfigurable airflow sensor for monitoring the condition of a self-expandable airway stent within the human airway. Created by Biorender.com. (B) Detailed illustration of the reconfigurable airflow sensor consisting of a flexible conductive graphene layer and a programmable magnetic layer. (C) Working principle of the reconfigurable airflow sensor, in which deformation induced by airflow is regulated under two operational modes controlled by external magnetic fields. (D) Schematic of the electrical resistance response of the airflow sensor as a function of airflow speed under two different operational modes. (E) Illustrative periodic airflow speed as a function of time during breathing. (F) Detection of mucus blockage conditions using the airflow sensor integrated on an airway stent. (G) Illustration of monitoring airway collapse treatment outcomes after implantation of the airway stent with integrated airflow sensors.