JERUSALEM, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and German scientists have developed a highly sensitive gas sensor that can distinguish between mirror-image versions of the same odor molecule, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said Monday in a statement.
The technology may enable future "electronic noses" for non-invasive medical breath tests, air quality monitoring, and food or perfume quality control, it said.
The sensor, described in Chemistry-A European Journal, works by coating carbon nanotubes with specially designed sugar-based materials. These sugars act like tiny chemical locks, selectively responding to specific scent molecules while ignoring nearly identical ones, it said.
In experiments, the sensor clearly distinguished between different forms of citrus and mint scent molecules, detecting one form of limonene at levels as low as 1.5 parts per million. This sensitivity and selectivity exceed many current methods, it said.
The system can be adapted for various applications by simply changing the type of sugar-coating, making it a versatile tool for future diagnostic and environmental monitoring technologies, it said.
