Rapid detection of nicotine from breath using desorption ionisation on porous silicon
- Journal:
- Chemical Communications
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1039/c7cc00243b
- Affiliations:
- 2
- Authors:
- 3
Research Highlight
Smoke signals on the breath
© Erik Jonsson/EyeEm /Getty
Nicotine can be directly detected in breath without the need for lengthy lab tests.
Breathalysers are commonly used for alcohol tests but on-the-spot screening for smaller molecules found in drugs, usually in saliva, can be unreliable and require further analysis in the lab.
A team including researchers from the University of South Australia made a breathalyser by inserting a porous silicon chip into a straw and used it to capture the breath from a habitual cigarette smoker. Laser excitation of the silicon surface revealed which molecules were present in the breath without interference, and revealed nicotine in the same concentrations as other lab-based screening methods.
The technique represents a promising step towards instant breath analysis for evidence of illegal drugs or biomarkers, molecules that could diagnose diseases.
References
- Chem. Commun. 53, 5224-5226 (2017). doi: 10.1039/C7CC00243B
Institutions | Authors | Share |
---|---|---|
Future Industries Institute, UniSA, Australia | 0.50 | |
Monash University, Australia | 0.50 |