A handheld plastic chip powered by a smartphone can detect water pollutants with the same precision as a massive laboratory.
Testing for toxic chemicals in water usually requires shipping samples to a central lab with millions of dollars in equipment. This new biochip uses fiber embedded microfluidics and a smartphone camera to perform the same ultrasensitive analysis in the field. It detects tiny traces of pesticides and industrial runoff in just a few minutes. The device is small enough to fit in a pocket and easy enough for anyone to use. This technology gives remote communities the power to monitor their own water safety without waiting for government reports.
Smartphone-Powered Handheld Chemiluminescent Fiber-Embedded Microfluidic Biochip Enables Rapid, Ultrasensitive, and Universal On-site Detection of Aquatic Micropollutants
SSRN · 6634487
Rapid, sensitive, and field-deployable detection of aquatic micropollutants (e.g., antibiotics, endocrine disruptors, pesticides) remains a pivotal challenge for environmental monitoring. Here, we report the first handheld chemiluminescent biosensing platform (HCFMB) integrating a functionalized fiber-embedded microfluidic biochip, a miniaturized chemiluminescent reader, and smartphone-based control for on-site quantitative analysis. By coupling a multifunctional fiber biosensor with an ultrasen