Detecting pollutants at ultra-trace levels

Material scientists develop nano-structured and reusable substrate for ultra-sensitive detection of low-concentration analytes - Spin-off planned

29-Mar-2023 - Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (or Spectroscopy), known as SERS, is an advanced analysis method that extends the range of Raman applications to trace analysis such as part per million level detection of a pollutant in water or different liquids. SERS has a high potential to be used in the ...

Enhanced arsenic detection in water, food, soil

Sensor can identify the global content and form of arsenic-containing molecules at very low concentrations

02-Mar-2023 - It is a cruel paradox that on a planet with a surface mostly covered by water, hundreds of millions of people don’t have access to clean drinking water. As for the pollution of potable and natural water sources, one of the main culprits is arsenic, an abundant and toxic element in the earth’s ...

Nano-sensor detects pesticides on fruit in minutes

The new nano-sensors employ a 1970s discovery

08-Jun-2022 - Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a tiny sensor for detecting pesticides on fruit in just a few minutes. The technique, described as a proof-of-concept in a paper in the journal Advanced Science, uses flame-sprayed nanoparticles made from silver to increase the signal ...

Researchers report quantum-limit-approaching chemical sensing chip

Study shows improvements to chemical sensing chip that aims to quickly and accurately identify drugs and other trace chemicals

13-Jan-2021 - University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals -- everything from illicit drugs to pollution -- as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol. The chip, which also may have uses in food ...

2D sandwich sees molecules with clarity

Researchers adapt 2D 'sandwich' for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

18-May-2020 - A sandwich of molybdenum, sulfur and selenium turns out to be deliciously useful for detecting biomolecules. Tests at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering of a two-dimensional Janus compound showed it could be an effective and universal platform for improving the detection of ...

Nanoscience breakthrough: Probing particles smaller than a billionth of a meter

17-Dec-2019 - Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) developed a new methodology that allows researchers to assess the chemical composition and structure of metallic particles with a diameter of only 0.5 to 2 nm. This breakthrough in analytical techniques will enable the development and ...

2017 WITec Paper Award for Outstanding Scientific Publications

29-Jun-2017 - From nearly 60 submissions for the 2017 WITec Paper Award, our jury selected the three best publications. They were written by scientists from Ireland, Portugal and Germany who used WITec correlative confocal Raman microscopes to study transition metal dichalcogenides, textile fibers and cement. ...

New sensing tech could help detect diseases, fraudulent art, chemical weapons

03-Jun-2015 - From airport security detecting explosives to art historians authenticating paintings, society's thirst for powerful sensors is growing. Given that, few sensing techniques can match the buzz created by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).Discovered in the 1970s, SERS is a sensing technique ...

UGA researchers develop rapid diagnostic test for pathogens, contaminants

23-Jul-2012 - Using nanoscale materials, researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a single-step method to rapidly and accurately detect viruses, bacteria and chemical contaminants. In a series of studies, the scientists were able to detect compounds such as lactic acid and the protein albumin in ...

New research leads to sensors that detect contaminants in water

08-Jun-2012 - Many organic contaminants in the air and in drinking water need to be detected at very low-level concentrations. Research published by the laboratory of Prashant V. Kamat, the John A. Zahm Professor of Science at the University of Notre Dame, could be beneficial in detecting those ...