Advances in chitosan-based biosensors for affective computing

Abstract

Affective computing depends on biosensors capable of detecting physiological signals associated with human emotions. Chitosan, a naturally occurring cationic polysaccharide derived from chitin, has emerged as a promising platform for such devices due to its renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and ease of chemical modification. Its abundant amino and hydroxyl groups provide versatile sites for derivatization, enabling tailored solubility, mechanical performance, and functional responsiveness. These attributes make chitosan well suited for wearable and implantable emotion-sensing systems; however, challenges remain, including environmental stability, signal drift under large deformation, and maintaining long-term skin comfort. This review provides an interdisciplinary overview of chitosan’s structural, solution, and interfacial properties, demonstrating how these characteristics can enhance biosensor performance in affective computing applications. Advances in chemical modification are evaluated for their roles in improving solubility, conductivity, selectivity, and mechanical robustness. Persistent challenges, including reproducibility, durability, and biocompatibility under real-world conditions, are discussed. Finally, future perspectives are outlined, focusing on greener production methods, multi-modal sensor integration, and the expansion of chitosan-based technologies into new emotion-aware application domains.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

chitosan / chemical modification / emotion recognition / biocompatible interface / human computer interaction / affective computing

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