London: Researchers have now developed a super sensitive electronic nose which can detect pesticides and nerve gas in very low concentrations.
According to the researchers from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, this super sensitive nose built by them with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) may also help in screening someone's breath for lung cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS).
“MOFs are like microscopic sponges. They can absorb quite a lot of gas into their minuscule pores,” said post-doctoral researcher Ivo Stassen.
The chemical sensor can easily be integrated into existing electronic devices. “You can apply the MOF as a thin film over the surface of, for instance, an electric circuit. Therefore, it’s fairly easy to equip a smartphone with a gas sensor for pesticides and nerve gas,” said professor Rob Ameloot.
The best-known electronic nose is the breathalyser. As drivers breathe into the device, a chemical sensor measures the amount of alcohol in their breath. This chemical reaction is then converted into an electronic signal, allowing a police officer to read the result.
This new metal-organic framework is the most sensitive gas sensor to find out the dangerous substances.
“Further research will allow us to examine other applications as well,” Prof. Ameloot noted in a university statement.
“MOFs can measure very low concentrations, so we could use them to screen someone’s breath for diseases such as lung cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS) in an early stage,” he said.
The findings were published in the journal Chemical Science.
(With Agency input)
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