Articles tagged with "chemical-sensors"
Fastest microfluidics chip pulls PFAS from water in five minutes
Researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Chungnam National University have developed a novel microfluidic device that rapidly extracts pollutants directly from contaminated solids, bypassing the need for complex filtration steps traditionally required in environmental testing. Published in ACS Sensors, this device uses a trap-based microchamber design where a tiny extractant droplet selectively absorbs target analytes as the sample solution flows through an adjacent channel, allowing solid particles to pass by without interference. This innovation addresses a major challenge in analytical chemistry by enabling rapid, reliable extraction from samples containing solids like sand or soil, which typically hinder accuracy and complicate workflows. The team demonstrated the device’s effectiveness by detecting perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a persistent PFAS chemical, in under five minutes and extracting the pharmaceutical carbamazepine (CBZ) from sand-containing slurry without prior filtration. The device’s streamlined process reduces time, cost, and complexity while maintaining high reliability, making it suitable
materialsmicrofluidicsenvironmental-monitoringwater-purificationchemical-sensorsanalytical-chemistryautomated-systemsNew portable device sniffs fentanyl from air faster than trained dogs
A new portable device called VaporID, developed by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and commercialized by BaySpec, can detect fentanyl vapors in ambient air at concentrations as low as six parts per trillion—significantly faster and more sensitive than current methods such as swab tests or trained detection dogs. The microwave oven–sized sensor uses non-contact sampling and a miniature mass spectrometer to analyze air instantly, identifying fentanyl, its analogs, and other narcotics like methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, and ketamine. A bench-top lab version demonstrated even greater sensitivity, detecting fentanyl at ten parts per quadrillion by employing an atmospheric flow tube that prolongs interaction between drug molecules and charged ions. This technology addresses the challenge of detecting substances with low vapor pressure in complex environments filled with competing vapors. By filtering out background noise and tagging target molecules with ions before mass spectrometry, VaporID achieves rapid and precise identification. Field trials at
IoTsensor-technologyportable-detection-devicemass-spectrometryhomeland-securitynarcotics-detectionchemical-sensorsPower of pyrazinacene: This crystal turns violet to expose a pollutant
materialscrystal-technologychemical-sensorscharge-transferenvironmental-monitoringpollution-detectionpyrazinacene