Reviewed by Lexie CornerJul 17 2024
Dr. Peter Rentzepis, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, has developed a new technology that allows users to make non-invasive identifications of potentially harmful chemicals or materials in the field, particularly in remote areas where laboratory spectrometers are too large and power intensive to use.
A smartphone records the Raman spectrum of an unknown material (an ethanol solution, in this case) for further analysis. Image Credit: Texas A&M University Engineering
Imagine hiking and knowing which berry or mushroom is safe to eat. Picture being in a hospital and rapidly detecting a pathogen that typically takes days to identify.
Combining the technology of a cellphone camera with a Raman spectrometer (a powerful laser chemical analysis tool) enables the identification and detection of drugs, chemicals, and biological molecules that are invisible to the human eye.
Dr. Peter Rentzepis has a patent for a cellphone-based Raman spectrometer system.
This novel Raman spectrometer device combines lenses, a diode laser, and a diffraction grating—a small, square-shaped surface that scatters light for analysis—with a cellphone camera to record the Raman spectrum. Peaks in the spectrum reveal precise information about a substance's chemical composition and molecular structure based on its intensity and position.
To operate the device, set a cellphone behind the transmission grating, with a camera facing the grating, and be ready to record the Raman spectrum. A laser beam is directed at a slide containing a sample of unknown material, such as a bacterium. The camera captures the spectrum, and when combined with an appropriate mobile application/database, this small tool can quickly identify materials on-site.
Previously, detecting unidentified substances required extensive sampling of biological material and laboratory examination, which might take hours or even days. While traditional Raman spectrometers can cost hundreds of dollars, Rentzepis’ technology is substantially less expensive and identifies materials much more quickly.
It is a small device that can tell you the composition of a particular system, material, or sample. You can even have it in your pocket.
Dr. Peter Rentzepis, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University
Former graduate students Dr. Dinesh Dhankhar, a system engineer at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Anushka Nagpal, a process engineer at Intel Corporation, are also among the inventors.
This research is funded by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), Texas A&M Engineering’s official research organization.