The invention of scientists from the University of Texas will make it possible to turn any smartphone into a device for precise analysis of the molecular composition of foods, substances, drugs and biological products. It will revolutionize many industries and even the lives of ordinary citizens. A trip to the mushroom forest will no longer be Russian roulette - the pocket spectrometer will sort it all out.
The patent for the invention belongs to Texas A&M University electrical and computer engineering professor Dr. Peter Rentzepis. Together with junior colleagues, he developed a compact installation for turning a smartphone into a Raman spectrometer. The analyzed sample is illuminated by a semiconductor laser diode through a system of lenses, and the light scattered by the sample passes through a diffraction grating and is recorded by a smartphone camera. This is the essence of Raman spectroscopy - identifying the peaks and troughs in the Raman scattering background when samples are illuminated.
The data received from the smartphone is compared to a database of samples, as a result of which the user receives an answer as to what sample he has just analyzed. In theory, the analysis kit could be carried in a pocket, although the prototype is still far from that and fits on a small part of the laboratory table. Everyone will probably find many uses for such a kit, from determining the quality of products to hobbies and work. Therefore, we can only wish for a quick implementation of the development in a commercial device.