Following a research initiative, a team of scientists at the Ben-Gurion University of Negev have found an artificial nose capable of continuous bacterial monitoring. What is important is that, this has never been earlier achieved and could find use for multiple environmental, medical, and food applications.
The study is published in Nano Micro Letters.
“Meanwhile, the artificial nose is invented based on unique carbon nanoparticles. These nanoparticle are characteristic of sensing gas molecules and detect bacteria through volatile metabolites that are emitted into the air,” stated the lead researcher of the study.
Hypothetically, the technology that is pending patent has many applications. This includes identifying bacteria in healthcare, speeding breath based diagnostic and lab testing, making out good vs. pathogenic bacteria in the microbiome, detect food spoilage, and identify poisonous gases.
Importantly, Ben-Gurion University of Negev has a remarkable track record of sensor development, with infinite possibilities of life application, stated one of the lead associates. The multi-disciplinary research efforts of the institution continue to ignite innovation, in a bid to address some of the most pressing issues in the world.
Coming back on the artificial nose, in terms of function, it uses electrodes and chemical reactions to detect and distinguish vapor molecules, thereby record changes in the capacitance of interdigitated electrodes coated with carbon dots. Structurally, the resultant C-dot-IDE platform of the artificial nose comprises multifaceted and powerful vehicle for sensing gas in general, and, in particular, for bacterial monitoring. To add to the capability of the artificial nose, machine learning can be integrated to train the sensor, which can identify gas molecules individually or in mixtures, that too with high accuracy.
