Cell Phone Sensors for Toxins Developed at UC San Diego

Tiny sensors tucked into cell phones could map airborne toxins in real time May 13, 2010 By Susan Brown A tiny flake of silicon can be engineered to respond to a wide range of chemical hazards. Credit: Sailor Lab/UCSD A tiny silicon chip that works a bit like a nose may one day detect dangerous airborne chemicals and alert emergency responders through the cell phone network. If embedded in many cell phones, its developers say, the new type of sensor could map the location and extent of hazards like gas leaks or the deliberate release of a toxin. 'Cell phones are everywhere people are,' said Michael Sailor, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego who heads the research effort. 'This technology could map a chemical accident as it unfolds.' In collaboration with Rhevision, Inc., a small startup company located in San Diego, Sailor's research group at UCSD has successfully finished the first phase of development of the sensor and have begun to work on a prototype that will link to a cell phone. The sensor, a porous flake of silicon, changes color when it interacts with specific chemicals. By manipulating the shape of the pores, the researchers can tune individual spots on the silicon flake to respond to specific chemical traits.