Semiconducting ceramics, breath ammonia analysis, and nanomedicine application

The diagnostic potential of clinical breath analysis has been recognised for centuries. Nowadays, breath analysis is attracting increasing interest as a non-invasive means of diagnosis. In particular, detection of ammonia in human breath has the potential to probe several processes including those involving the kidneys, liver and bacterial infection of either the stomach or mouth. Several instrumental and non-instrumental methods exist which are capable of measuring breath ammonia. However, most of these systems were originally developed for environmental monitoring applications. The ideal breath ammonia monitoring device is one that is sensitive to the specific gas and capable of detecting it at the physiologically relevant concentrations in the ppb range with good precision and accuracy, insensitivity to interference (particularly temperature and humidity effects), is ideally portable for point-of-care use, provides ease-of-use to the user, displays real-time measurements, and is of low cost.

For Ikersens initiative, I am going to write a project proposal. It would be an ammonia detection system in exhaled human breath using a metal oxide-based sensor.