The detection of acetone in human exhaled breath is crucial for the noninvasive diagnosis of diabetes. However, the direct and reliable detection of acetone in exhaled breath with high humidity at the parts per billion level remains a great challenge. Here, an ultrasensitive acetone gas sensor based on a K/Sn–Co₃O₄ porous microsphere was reported. The sensor demonstrates a detection limit of up to 100 ppb, along with excellent repeatability and selectivity. Remarkably, without the removal of water vapor from exhaled breath, the sensor can accurately distinguish diabetic patients and healthy individuals according to the difference in acetone concentrations, demonstrating its great potential for diabetes diagnosis. The enhanced sensitivity of the sensor is attributed to the increased oxygen adsorption on the material surface due to K/Sn codoping and the stronger coadsorption of Sn–K atoms to acetone molecules. These findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the sensor’s improved performance.

中文翻译：

---

基于 K/Sn-Co3O4 多孔微球的超灵敏丙酮气体传感器用于无创糖尿病诊断


检测人类呼出气中的丙酮对于糖尿病的无创诊断至关重要。然而，在高湿度（十亿分之几）的呼出气中直接可靠地检测丙酮仍然是一项巨大的挑战。本文报道了一种基于 K/Sn-Co₃O₄ 多孔微球的超灵敏丙酮气体传感器。该传感器的检测限高达 100 ppb，具有出色的可重复性和选择性。值得注意的是，该传感器无需去除呼出气中的水蒸气，即可根据丙酮浓度的差异准确区分糖尿病患者和健康个体，显示出其在糖尿病诊断方面的巨大潜力。传感器灵敏度的提高归因于 K/Sn 共掺杂导致材料表面氧吸附增加，以及 Sn-K 原子对丙酮分子的更强共吸附。这些发现揭示了传感器性能改进的基础机制。