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} .category-border-color { border-color: #009589; } .category-text-color { color: #009589; } .the-content a, .share-panel a { color: #009589!important; } .share-panel a:hover { border-color: #009589!important; } .author-byline__info a { color: #009589!important; } .entry-content blockquote::before { color: #009589!important; } .entry-content figure { color: #009589!important; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="row single-content"> <div class="col-md-1 share-sticky"> <ul class="share-panel"> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://physicsworld.com/a/nanoflake-based-breath-sensor-delivers-ultrasensitive-lung-cancer-screening/" aria-label="Share on Facebook"><i class="fa fa-facebook" aria-hidden="true"></i></a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Gas sensor made from nanoflakes of indium oxide-based materials successfully identifies individuals with lung cancer https://physicsworld.com/a/nanoflake-based-breath-sensor-delivers-ultrasensitive-lung-cancer-screening/" aria-label="Share on Twitter"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" shape-rendering="geometricPrecision" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" image-rendering="optimizeQuality" fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" viewBox="0 0 512 462.799"><path fill-rule="nonzero" fill="currentColor" d="M403.229 0h78.506L310.219 196.04 512 462.799H354.002L230.261 301.007 88.669 462.799h-78.56l183.455-209.683L0 0h161.999l111.856 147.88L403.229 0zm-27.556 415.805h43.505L138.363 44.527h-46.68l283.99 371.278z"/></svg> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphysicsworld.com%2Fa%2Fnanoflake-based-breath-sensor-delivers-ultrasensitive-lung-cancer-screening%2F" aria-label="Share on LinkedIn" rel="noopener"><i class="fa fa-linkedin" aria-hidden="true"></i></a> </li> <li> <a href="mailto:?subject=Physics%20World:%20Nanoflake-based%20breath%20sensor%20delivers%20ultrasensitive%20lung%20cancer%20screening&body=I%20thought%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20Physics%20World%20article:%20%20https://physicsworld.com/a/nanoflake-based-breath-sensor-delivers-ultrasensitive-lung-cancer-screening/" aria-label="Share by Email"><i class="fa fa-envelope-o" aria-hidden="true"></i></a> </li> <li> <a href="#" onclick="window.print();return false;"><i class="fa fa-print" aria-hidden="true"></i></a> </li>  </ul> </div> <div class="col-md-7 col-sm-7 the-content equalize-sidebar"> <ul class="hero-top-banner__category"> <li><a href="https://physicsworld.com/c/biophysics-bioengineering/biomedical-devices/" style="color: #009589;">Biomedical devices</a></li> <li><a href="https://physicsworld.com/l/research-updates/" style="color: #009589;">Research update</a></li> </ul> <div class="single-header single-sponsored-header"> <h1 class="single-header__heading">Nanoflake-based breath sensor delivers ultrasensitive lung cancer screening</h1> <div class="single-header__meta"> 18 Nov 2024 <a href="https://physicsworld.com/author/tami-freeman/">Tami Freeman</a> </div> </div> <article id="post-118251" class="post-118251 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-biomedical-devices article-type-research-updates"> <div class="entry-content">    <figure class="size-full" id="attachment_118254"><a data-fancybox data-src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a.jpg" data-caption="<strong>Gas sensing cell</strong> Schematic depicting the internal structure and the gas sensor’s working status. (Courtesy: Reprinted with permission from <em>ACS Sensors</em> 10.1021/acssensors.4c01298 ©2024 American Chemical Society)" title="Click to open image in popup" href="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-118254" src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a.jpg" alt="Gas sensing cell" width="1000" height="600" srcset="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a.jpg 1000w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-211x127.jpg 211w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-317x190.jpg 317w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-768x461.jpg 768w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-667x400.jpg 667w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-687x412.jpg 687w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-683x410.jpg 683w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-635x381.jpg 635w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-328x197.jpg 328w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-257x154.jpg 257w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-300x180.jpg 300w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-150x90.jpg 150w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-breath-sensor-fig3a-128x77.jpg 128w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></a><script type="application/json">"<strong>Gas sensing cell<\/strong> Schematic depicting the internal structure and the gas sensor’s working status. (Courtesy: Reprinted with permission from <em>ACS Sensors<\/em> 10.1021\/acssensors.4c01298 ©2024 American Chemical Society)"</script><figcaption class="gallery-item__caption"><strong>Gas sensing cell</strong> Schematic depicting the internal structure and the gas sensor’s working status. (Courtesy: Reprinted with permission from <em>ACS Sensors</em> 10.1021/acssensors.4c01298 ©2024 American Chemical Society)</figcaption></figure> <p>Analysis of human breath can provide a non-invasive method for cancer screening or disease diagnosis. The level of isoprene in exhaled breath, for example, provides a biomarker that can indicate the presence of lung cancer. Now a research collaboration from China and Spain has used nanoflakes of indium oxide (In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>)-based materials to create a gas sensor with the highest performance of any isoprene sensor reported to date.</p> <p>For effective cancer screening or diagnosis, a gas sensor must be sensitive enough to detect the small amounts of isoprene present in breath (in the parts-per-billion (ppb) range) and able to differentiate isoprene from other exhaled compounds. The metal oxide semiconductor In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> is a promising candidate for isoprene sensing, but existing devices are limited by high operating temperatures and low detection limits.</p> <figure class="size-medium" id="attachment_118253"><a data-fancybox data-src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes.jpg" data-caption="<strong>Detecting lung cancer</strong> SEM micrograph of the Pt@InNiOx nanoflakes. (Courtesy: <em>ACS Sens.</em> 10.1021/acssensors.4c01298)" title="Click to open image in popup" href="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="619" height="456" src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes.jpg" class="attachment-article-main size-article-main" alt="SEM micrograph of nanoflakes" srcset="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes.jpg 619w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-211x155.jpg 211w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-317x234.jpg 317w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-543x400.jpg 543w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-559x412.jpg 559w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-557x410.jpg 557w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-267x197.jpg 267w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-257x189.jpg 257w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-300x221.jpg 300w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-122x90.jpg 122w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18-11-24-nanoflakes-128x94.jpg 128w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px" /></a><script type="application/json">"<strong>Detecting lung cancer<\/strong> SEM micrograph of the Pt@InNiOx nanoflakes. (Courtesy: <em>ACS Sens.<\/em> 10.1021\/acssensors.4c01298)"</script><figcaption class="gallery-item__caption"><strong>Detecting lung cancer</strong> SEM micrograph of the Pt@InNiOx nanoflakes. (Courtesy: Adapted from <em>ACS Sensors</em> 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c01298)</figcaption></figure> <p>To optimize the sensing performance, the research team – led by <a href="https://person.zju.edu.cn/en/0017089">Pingwei Liu</a> from <a href="https://www.zju.edu.cn/english/">Zhejiang University</a> and Qingyue Wang from Institute of Zhejiang University – developed a series of sensors made from nanoflakes of pure In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, nickel-doped (InNiO<em><sub>x</sub></em>) or platinum-loaded (Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub></em>). The sensors comprise an insulating substrate with interdigitated gold/titanium electrodes, coated with a layer of roughly 10 nm-thick nanoflakes. When the sensor is exposed to isoprene, adsorption of isoprene onto the nanoflakes causes an increase in the detected electrical signal.</p> <p>“The nanoflakes’ two-dimensional structure provides a relatively high surface area and pore volume compared with the bulk structure, thus promoting isoprene adsorption and enhancing electron interaction and electrical signals,” Wang explains. “This improves the sensitivity of the gas sensor.”</p> <p>The researchers – also from <a href="https://www.zju.edu.cn/english/2018/0522/c19973a812987/page.htm">Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine</a> and <a href="https://icp.csic.es/">Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, CSIC</a> – assessed the isoprene sensing performance of the various sensor chips. All three exhibited a linear response to isoprene concentrations ranging from 500 ppb to the limit-of-detection (LOD) at the operating temperature of 200 °C. Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub></em> showed a response at least four times higher than InNiO<em>x </em>and In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, as well as an exceptionally low LOD of 2 ppb, greatly outperforming any previously reported sensors.</p> <span class="mpu align-right" aria-hidden="true"><div id='div-gpt-ad-3759129-1'class="advert" > <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3759129-1'); }); </script> </div></span> <p>The Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>sensor also showed high selectivity, exhibiting 3–7 times higher response to isoprene than to other volatile organic compounds commonly found in breath. Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>also exhibited good repeatability over nine cycles of 500 ppb isoprene sensing.</p> <p>The team next examined how humidity affects the sensors – an important factor as exhaled breath usually has a relative humidity above 65%. The InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>and Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>sensors maintained a stable current baseline in the presence of water vapour. In contrast, the In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> sensor showed more than a 100% baseline increase. Similarly, the isoprene sensing performance of InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>and Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>was unaffected by water vapor, while the In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> response decreased to less than 0.5% as relative humidity reached 80%.</p> <p>The team also used simultaneous spectroscopic and electrical measurements to investigate the isoprene sensing mechanism. They found that nanoclusters of platinum in the nanoflakes play a pivotal role by catalysing the oxidation of isoprene C=C bonds, which releases electrons and triggers the isoprene-sensing process.</p> <h3><strong>Clinical testing</strong></h3> <p>As the performance tests indicated that Pt@InNiO<em>x </em>may provide an optimal sensing material for detecting ultralow levels of isoprene, the researchers integrated Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>nanoflakes into a portable breath sensing device. They collected exhaled breath from eight healthy individuals and five lung cancer patients, and then transferred the exhaled gases from the gas collection bags into the digital device, which displays the isoprene concentration on its screen.</p> <p>The sensing device revealed that exhaled isoprene concentrations in lung cancer patients were consistently below 40 ppb, compared with more than 60 ppb in healthy individuals. As such, the device successfully distinguished individuals with lung cancer from healthy people.</p> <p>“These findings underscore the effectiveness of the Pt@InNiO<em><sub>x</sub> </em>sensor in real-world scenarios, validating its potential for rapid and cost-effective lung cancer diagnosis,” the researchers write. “Integrating this ultrasensitive sensing material into a portable device holds significant implications for at-home surveillance for lung cancer patients, enabling dynamic monitoring of their health status.”</p> <article class='editors-pick'> <a href='https://physicsworld.com/a/ultrasensitive-frequency-comb-breathalyser-targets-real-time-disease-diagnosis/'> <div class='editors-pick__image'> <div class='editors-pick__more'>Read more</div> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="120" height="90" src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-120x90.jpg" class="attachment-list-image size-list-image wp-post-image" alt="Frequency comb breathalyser" srcset="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-120x90.jpg 120w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-211x158.jpg 211w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-317x238.jpg 317w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-768x577.jpg 768w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-533x400.jpg 533w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-546x410.jpg 546w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-635x477.jpg 635w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-262x197.jpg 262w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-300x225.jpg 300w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-257x193.jpg 257w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-128x96.jpg 128w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-261x196.jpg 261w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis-549x412.jpg 549w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ye-Jutta_Breath-Analysis.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 120px) 100vw, 120px" /> </div> <h4 class='editors-pick__title'><p>Ultrasensitive frequency comb breathalyser targets real-time disease diagnosis</p> </h4> </a> </article> <p>Looking to future commercialization of this technology, the researchers note that this will require further research on the sensing materials and the relationship between breath isoprene levels and lung cancer. “By addressing these areas and finishing the rigorous clinical trials, breath isoprene gas sensing technology could become a transformative tool in the noninvasive detection of lung cancer, ultimately saving lives and improving healthcare,” they conclude.</p> <p>“Currently, we’re cooperating with a local hospital for large-scale clinical testing and evaluating the potentials to be applied for other cancers such as prostate cancer,” Wang tells <em>Physics World</em>.</p> <p>The researchers report their findings in <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssensors.4c01298"><em>ACS Sensors</em></a>.</p> <div class="wrapper clearfix"> <div class="ajax__container fullwidth-newsletter-sign-up events-register-sign-up" style="border-color: #009589"> <form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" data-ajax="register" data-dest=".fullwidth-newsletter-sign-up"> <input type="hidden" name="signup" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="shortform" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="url" value="https://physicsworld.com/a/nanoflake-based-breath-sensor-delivers-ultrasensitive-lung-cancer-screening"> <div class="fullwidth-newsletter-sign-up__email"> <div class="gf_browser_chrome gform_wrapper" id="gform_wrapper_1"> <div class="gform_heading"> <h3 class="gform_title">Want to read more?</h3> <span class="gform_description">Registration is free, quick and easy</span> <p><strong>Note:</strong> The verification e-mail to complete your account registration should arrive immediately. 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