{"id":3464,"date":"2022-01-02T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3464"},"modified":"2022-01-03T05:45:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T05:45:18","slug":"new-nicotine-sensor-goes-on-your-skin-and-it-can-monitor-vaping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/new-nicotine-sensor-goes-on-your-skin-and-it-can-monitor-vaping\/","title":{"rendered":"New Nicotine Sensor Goes On Your Skin\u2014And It Can Monitor Vaping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While vaping has been touted as a way for cigarette dependents to slowly veer away from the potentially harmful activity, substances hidden in the vapors of the supposedly \u201csafer\u201d alternative also carry similar risks to health. One such substance is nicotine<\/em>, a naturally-produced alkaloid substance produced by plants in the nightshade<\/em> family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicotine can cause addiction when exposure is on a regular basis\u2014exposure which is sure to be more common for people looking into substituting cigarette smoking with vaping. As a result, despite its touted role as a way out for cigarette dependents, vaping may carry a risk all on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SingleCare estimates that there will be some 55 million vape users around the world by the end of 2021. (E-Liquids UK, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To help with this, scientists from the University of Arizona (UArizona) and RMIT University collaborated on the development of a sensor that can simply be placed on the skin of a user. The device, touted as \u201cbattery-free\u201d much like the potential new hearing aid technology developed by Huazhong University of Science and Technology<\/a>, is capable of monitoring airborne nicotine levels in the wearer\u2019s vicinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sensor itself is mainly composed of a vanadium dioxide (VO2<\/sub>) thin film deposited on a\u00a0 polyimide substrate, the working process being that nicotine molecules can bond to the VO2<\/sub> film. This changes the film\u2019s conductivity, allowing the sensor to interpret the presence of nicotine around it as changes in its conductivity. It then reports this information to a nearby device wirelessly, like a smartphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The sensor was designed to be worn on your skin, and is powered on simply by wirelessly communicating with a nearby smartphone. (Rahman et al, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This actually places the potentially new technology together with similar implements that measure chemical levels in the body with just skin-level devices, like the novel glucose sensors that similarly just go on your skin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results from this study, led by Dr. Philipp Gutruf from UArizona, says that the sensor has potential to be modified for use in detecting nicotine from traditional cigarette smoke; however, the solids and other substances present in cigarette smoke require additional innovations to the underlying technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This particular study was published in the journal ACS Sensors<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n