Exploring the Use of Carbon Nanotubes to Develop Breath Biomarkers
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Common pulmonary diagnostic tests, though inefficient, expensive, and labored, have remained unchanged for several years. Developing an all-in-one sensor based technology to detect organic composition of exhaled breath can serve as a biomarker for prediction and early diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, as unique biomarker conditions of various pulmonary diseases. Carbon nanotubes (CNT's), used for their thermal and electrical properties, were hypothesized to be used as a thermistor and humidity sensor for: a) understanding the responsiveness of sensors towards the breathing cycle of each subject and b) evaluating characteristics of inhaled and exhaled breath temperature and relative humidity, including peak to valley values, amplitude, and frequency. A LabVIEW data acquisition system (DAQ) was developed for Arduino microcontroller. Using three pairs of CNT sensors, tests were performed to analyze the breathing pattern of two participants under three physiological conditions. The first part of study validated that the sensors were able to accurately detect the components of the breathing cycle (e.g., inhalation, exhalation, and pause). There was no statistically significant difference in the temperature frequency (breaths per minute) F(2,54) = 0.26, p >0.05 for 1st participant and F(2,54) = 0.01, p >0.05 for 2nd participant's breathing pattern for a given sensor pair. Lastly, after physical exercise, each participant showed increased breath rate with increased heart rate. As a next step, signal from the humidity sensor and a possible correlation between amplitude and frequency to the volumetric characteristics of the breathing cycle will be developed.
Recommended Citation
Kapoor, Shriya, "Exploring the Use of Carbon Nanotubes to Develop Breath Biomarkers" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 46.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/46
Location
John's Hall 107
Start Date
3-28-2020 9:45 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
Exploring the Use of Carbon Nanotubes to Develop Breath Biomarkers
John's Hall 107
Common pulmonary diagnostic tests, though inefficient, expensive, and labored, have remained unchanged for several years. Developing an all-in-one sensor based technology to detect organic composition of exhaled breath can serve as a biomarker for prediction and early diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, as unique biomarker conditions of various pulmonary diseases. Carbon nanotubes (CNT's), used for their thermal and electrical properties, were hypothesized to be used as a thermistor and humidity sensor for: a) understanding the responsiveness of sensors towards the breathing cycle of each subject and b) evaluating characteristics of inhaled and exhaled breath temperature and relative humidity, including peak to valley values, amplitude, and frequency. A LabVIEW data acquisition system (DAQ) was developed for Arduino microcontroller. Using three pairs of CNT sensors, tests were performed to analyze the breathing pattern of two participants under three physiological conditions. The first part of study validated that the sensors were able to accurately detect the components of the breathing cycle (e.g., inhalation, exhalation, and pause). There was no statistically significant difference in the temperature frequency (breaths per minute) F(2,54) = 0.26, p >0.05 for 1st participant and F(2,54) = 0.01, p >0.05 for 2nd participant's breathing pattern for a given sensor pair. Lastly, after physical exercise, each participant showed increased breath rate with increased heart rate. As a next step, signal from the humidity sensor and a possible correlation between amplitude and frequency to the volumetric characteristics of the breathing cycle will be developed.
