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Quantitative, high-sensitivity measurement of liquid analytes using a smartphone compass

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  • Mark Ferris

    (National Institute of Standards and Technology
    University of Colorado)

  • Gary Zabow

    (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Abstract

Smartphone ubiquity has led to rapid developments in portable diagnostics. While successful, such platforms are predominantly optics-based, using the smartphone camera as the sensing interface. By contrast, magnetics-based modalities exploiting the smartphone compass (magnetometer) remain unexplored, despite inherent advantages in optically opaque, scattering or auto-fluorescing samples. Here we report smartphone analyte sensing utilizing the built-in magnetometer for signal transduction via analyte-responsive magnetic-hydrogel composites. As these hydrogels dilate in response to targeted stimuli, they displace attached magnetic material relative to the phone’s magnetometer. Using a bilayer hydrogel geometry to amplify this motion allows for sensitive, optics-free, quantitative liquid-based analyte measurements that require neither any electronics nor power beyond that contained within the smartphone itself. We demonstrate this concept with glucose-specific and pH-responsive hydrogels, including glucose detection down to single-digit micromolar concentrations with potential for extension to nanomolar sensitivities. The platform is adaptable to numerous measurands, opening a path towards portable, inexpensive sensing of multiple analytes or biomarkers of interest.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Ferris & Gary Zabow, 2024. "Quantitative, high-sensitivity measurement of liquid analytes using a smartphone compass," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-47073-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47073-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. G. Zabow & S. J. Dodd & A. P. Koretsky, 2015. "Shape-changing magnetic assemblies as high-sensitivity NMR-readable nanoprobes," Nature, Nature, vol. 520(7545), pages 73-77, April.
    2. Etienne Palleau & Daniel Morales & Michael D. Dickey & Orlin D. Velev, 2013. "Reversible patterning and actuation of hydrogels by electrically assisted ionoprinting," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-7, October.
    3. Ting Zhang & Qingdong Zeng & Fan Ji & Honghong Wu & Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro & Qingshan Wei & Hao Yang & Xuhan Xia & Yao Ren & Keqing Mu & Qiang He & Zhensheng Kang & Ruijie Deng, 2023. "Precise in-field molecular diagnostics of crop diseases by smartphone-based mutation-resolved pathogenic RNA analysis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
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