Biosensor National Special Laboratory, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of TCM Health Management, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, PR China.
Biosensor National Special Laboratory, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, PR China.
Biosens Bioelectron. 2017 Jul 15;93:94-101. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2016.09.084. Epub 2016 Sep 25.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detection is in high demand for clinic treatment, environment monitoring, and food quality control. Especially, VOCs from human exhaled breath can serve as significant biomarkers of some diseases, such as lung cancer and diabetes. In this study, a smartphone-based sensing system was developed for real-time VOCs monitoring using alternative current (AC) impedance measurement. The interdigital electrodes modified with zinc oxide (ZnO), graphene, and nitrocellulose were used as sensors to produce impedance responses to VOCs. The responses could be detected by a hand-held device, sent out to a smartphone by Bluetooth, and reported with concentration on an android program of the smartphone. The smartphone-based system was demonstrated to detect acetone at concentrations as low as 1.56ppm, while AC impedance spectroscopy was used to distinguish acetone from other VOCs. Finally, measurements of the exhalations from human being were carried out to obtain the concentration of acetone in exhaled breath before and after exercise. The results proved that the smartphone-based system could be applied on the detection of VOCs in real settings for healthcare diagnosis. Thus, the smartphone-based system for VOCs detection provided a convenient, portable and efficient approach to monitor VOCs in exhaled breath and possibly allowed for early diagnosis of some diseases.
挥发性有机化合物 (VOCs) 的检测在临床治疗、环境监测和食品质量控制等方面的需求很高。特别是，人体呼出的 VOCs 可以作为某些疾病（如肺癌和糖尿病）的重要生物标志物。在本研究中，开发了一种基于智能手机的传感系统，用于使用交流 (AC) 阻抗测量进行实时 VOCs 监测。用氧化锌 (ZnO)、石墨烯和硝酸纤维素修饰的叉指电极被用作传感器，以产生对 VOCs 的阻抗响应。这些响应可以通过手持设备检测，并通过蓝牙发送到智能手机，然后在智能手机的安卓程序上报告浓度。基于智能手机的系统被证明可以检测低至 1.56ppm 的丙酮，而交流阻抗光谱法可用于区分丙酮和其他 VOCs。最后，对人体呼气进行了测量，以获得运动前后呼气中丙酮的浓度。结果表明，基于智能手机的系统可用于实际环境中的 VOCs 检测，用于医疗诊断。因此，基于智能手机的 VOCs 检测系统为监测呼气中的 VOCs 提供了一种便捷、便携和高效的方法，并可能有助于某些疾病的早期诊断。
