Ranno Luigi, Tan Yong Zen, Ong Chi Siang, Guo Xin, Koo Khong Nee, Li Xiang, Wang Wanjun, Serna Samuel, Liu Chongyang, Littlejohns Callum G, Reed Graham T, Hu Juejun, Wang Hong, Sia Jia Xu Brian
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Fingate Technologies Pte Ltd, 8 Cleantech Loop #06-65, 637145, Singapore, Singapore.
Nat Commun. 2024 May 14;15(1):3820. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47938-6.
Lead (Pb) toxification is a concerning, unaddressed global public health crisis that leads to 1 million deaths annually. Yet, public policies to address this issue have fallen short. This work harnesses the unique abilities of crown ethers, which selectively bind to specific ions. This study demonstrates the synergistic integration of highly-scalable silicon photonics, with crown ether amine conjugation via Fischer esterification in an environmentally-friendly fashion. This realizes an integrated photonic platform that enables the in-operando, highly-selective and quantitative detection of various ions. The development dispels the existing notion that Fischer esterification is restricted to organic compounds, facilitating the subsequent amine conjugation for various crown ethers. The presented platform is specifically engineered for selective Pb detection, demonstrating a large dynamic detection range, and applicability to field samples. The compatibility of this platform with cost-effective manufacturing indicates the potential for pervasive implementation of the integrated photonic sensor technology to safeguard against societal Pb poisoning.
铅（Pb）中毒是一个令人担忧且未得到解决的全球公共卫生危机，每年导致100万人死亡。然而，解决这一问题的公共政策却有所欠缺。这项工作利用了冠醚的独特能力，冠醚能选择性地与特定离子结合。本研究展示了高度可扩展的硅光子学与通过费歇尔酯化反应以环境友好方式进行的冠醚胺共轭的协同整合。这实现了一个集成光子平台，能够对各种离子进行在线、高选择性和定量检测。这一进展消除了费歇尔酯化反应仅限于有机化合物的现有观念，为各种冠醚的后续胺共轭提供了便利。所展示的平台是专门为选择性检测铅而设计的，具有较大的动态检测范围，并适用于现场样品。该平台与经济高效制造的兼容性表明，集成光子传感器技术有可能广泛应用于预防社会铅中毒。
