Photonic Sensors for Detection of VOC Biomarkers

Technological Principles and Medical Applications

Sridhar Krishnaswamy, Akhilesh Kumar Pathak, Charusluk Viphavakit

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN:
  9780443291678
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Pharmacology

VOCs available in exhaled human breath are the products of metabolic activity in the body and, therefore, any changes in their control level can be utilized to diagnose specific diseases. More than 1000 VOCs have been identified in exhaled human breath along with the respiratory droplets which provide rich information on overall health conditions. Photonic Sensors for Detection of VOC Biomarkers: Technological Principles and Medical Applications cover the introductory information on VOCs, their source in the human body, associated diseases, potential sensing materials used for selective detection, and the advancement in their sensing technology. These VOCs offer great potential as a biomarker for a disease that can be sampled non-invasively from exhaled breath with breath biopsy. However, it is still a great challenge to develop a rapid responsive, highly selective, and sensitive VOC-sensing system. This book analyzes all the challenges and their possible solutions that can be used to achieve target-specific detection and real-time monitoring of the VOC molecules in the exhaled breath. It also covers a detailed discussion of all the sensing materials developed for selective and sensitive detection of VOC molecules and their integration with photonic devices in order to develop miniature technology. It covers various miniature sensing systems that are being exploited in VOC sensing such as interferometer, Bragg grating, microstructured fiber, 3D printed optical sensing systems, etc. The book will also provide an overview of the FEM technique and computation methods used to optimize the optical sensing devices before their practical realization. Photonic sensors for detection of VOC biomarkers aims to provide comprehensive information to early career professionals and boost their existing knowledge in the area of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering. - Discusses the basics of VOCs along with measurement challenges and possible solutions targeting clinical aspects - Covers a variety of sensing materials, their advantages and limitations - which guides the reader to the appropriate materials to develop highly selective VOC sensors - Provides in depth information about advancement in the target-specific materials and detection techniques including interferometry, FBG, MOFs etc

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the Authors
• CHAPTER 1 Introduction to volatile organic compounds
• CHAPTER 2 Classical approaches to breath VOC monitoring for disease diagnosis
• CHAPTER 3 Advances in photonic sensors for health and environmental monitoring
• CHAPTER 4 Simulation and design optimization of optical VOC sensors using the finite element method
• CHAPTER 5 VOC sensing materials: Principles and recent advances
• CHAPTER 6 Interferometric photonic sensors for VOC detection: Advancements and applications
• CHAPTER 7 Fundamentals and applications of fiber Bragg gratings in VOC sensing
• CHAPTER 8 Microstructured optical fiber sensors for VOC detection
• CHAPTER 9 On-chip photonic sensors for volatile organic compound detection
• CHAPTER 10 Advances in photonic sensors for semi-volatile organic compound detection
• CHAPTER 11 Next-gen VOC sensing: AI-driven non-invasive detection
• Index