Nano biological effects team made important progress in the field of VOCs detection

[ Instrument network instrument research and development ] Recently, Li Min's team from the Multidisciplinary Center of the Institute of High Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhao Zhenxia's team from Guangxi University have made important progress in the field of volatile organic compound (VOC) detection research. The related research results are "SERS-Active MIL-100( Fe) Sensory Array for Ultrasensitive and Multiplex Detection of VOCs" was published on the international chemistry journal Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.

The research team found that the metal-organic framework (MOFs) MIL-100(Fe) material has a Raman enhancement effect on VOCs molecules, and its adsorption detection performance for toluene and acetone is significantly better than traditional gas sensors. It should be emphasized that the adsorption of VOCs by MOFs presents the characteristics of "array resolution sensing", which can realize the sensing of multiple VOCs. After the introduction of "hot spots", the Raman enhancement effect reduced the detection limit of MIL-100(Fe) to toluene to 0.48 ppb, refreshing the detection limit of traditional gas sensors. Through theoretical calculations, the researchers found that the material can achieve the adsorption enhancement-charge transfer synergistic effect of VOCs on MIL-100(Fe) through several forms such as enhanced adsorption, charge transfer, and interband resonance, and finally produce Raman enhancement effect.

This study used this detection platform to perform sensitive analysis of a variety of lung cancer exhalation markers, showing its potential application in the early diagnosis of lung cancer, opening up new ideas for the simultaneous detection of tumor exhalation markers, and based on adsorption enhanced Raman The successful application of the enhanced effect of artificial olfactory system will provide a new method for early tumor diagnosis.

With the rapid development of modern industry and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds and the micro-pollution of the indoor environment have received more and more attention. Most VOCs are harmful or even carcinogenic. Therefore, the realization of sensitive detection and monitoring of VOCs in the environment is of great significance to the protection of human health.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.