The U.S. faced a record 110,000 drug overdose deaths in 2022, primarily due to opioids, underscoring the need for efficient detection. Current methods suffer from poor accuracy or high costs. We aim to address this with a portable, high-throughput nanophotonic sensor that uses Ag/Au nanoparticles decorated on ZnO nanoarray to detect multiple drugs, like opioids, cocaine, and methadone from biofluids such as urine or blood. Amplified signals from surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) are interpreted by machine learning, allowing automated, multiplex drug detection without expert supervision. This breakthrough approach could significantly advance understanding and control of the drug overdose crisis.
|