Professor Il-Doo Kim and his research team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering developed thin-wall assembled tin dioxide (SnO₂) fibers combined with catalytic platinum (Pt) nanoparticles. This newly developed material can effectively analyze in exhaled breaths the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as acetone and toluene, which are used as markers for diagnosis of diabetes or lung cancer. On May 2, the research was published in the prestigious Advanced Functional Materials.

Because the exhaled acetone level of diabetes patients is much higher than that of healthy people, analyzing the concentration of acetone gas in exhaled breath enables diagnosis of diabetes and other diseases.

Though there are various gas-sensing techniques used in the analysis of VOCs, they were found to be unsuitable for making real-time gas sensors due to their large size, complexity of operation, and high cost. However, the new material developed by the research team overcomes these problems and can easily be applied in real-time breath sensors.

The research team led by Professor Kim synthesized SnO₂ fibers composed of thin wrinkled SnO₂ nanotubes by varying the flow rate during electrospinning, and also enhanced the sensitivity toward acetone and toluene in exhaled gases by decorating them with catalytic Pt nanoparticles. Through this research, the potential use of SnO₂ fibers as fast-responding breath sensors for the diagnosis of diabetes was testified.

Professor Kim stated, “Using these thin-wall assembled fibers, we can accurately analyze the concentration of VOCs in exhaled breaths and enable early diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, including diabetes and lung cancer.” This research was supported by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and was conducted by Jungwoo Shin, an undergraduate student; Seon-Jin Choi, a doctorate student; Professor Chong Ook Park from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST; and Professor Jong-Heun Lee from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Korea University.