High sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device and method

Abstract

A high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device and method, the device includes a terahertz light source system, a respiratory virus test unit and a terahertz spectrum analysis unit. Wherein the respiratory virus test unit should produce a response according to the specific virus sample in different terahertz wave band, design corresponding terahertz field enhancement structure to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrum of the sample under the excitation of terahertz wave, so that the terahertz wave can produce obvious characteristic absorption spectrum after passing through the respiratory virus test unit, improve the sensitivity of terahertz wave spectrum detection, so as to obtain better respiratory virus detection effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to respiratory viruses, and in particular to a high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device and method. Background Art

[0002] Infectious diseases caused by respiratory viruses have coexisted with the development of human society. Currently, the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought devastating consequences to people worldwide. Virus prevention hinges on detecting the virus in infected individuals. Rapid and efficient detection of respiratory viruses is imperative, and therefore, more rapid and sensitive virus detection methods are essential. Terahertz (THz) light waves typically fall between 0.1 and 10 THz, between infrared and microwave frequencies. In recent decades, THz science has seen extensive and in-depth research in spectroscopy, imaging, biomedical testing, manipulation of physical and chemical properties, communications, and particularly in biophotonics, thanks to the transparency and non-ionizing properties of THz light waves. THz radiation frequencies fully cover the frequency range of fundamental motions of atoms, ions, molecules, and many biological macromolecules, and can resonantly couple with these fundamental motions, such as lattice vibrations (phonons). This particular area of ​​THz biophotonics encompasses research in medical imaging, organic and polymer materials science, as well as chiral molecules, amino acids, and metamaterials. Therefore, THz offers significant advantages in detecting viral macromolecules, enabling rapid diagnosis of the characteristic fingerprints of respiratory viruses.

[0003] Currently, the primary challenge with using terahertz spectroscopy to detect trace amounts of respiratory viruses is low sensitivity. While terahertz waves can accurately depict the characteristic fingerprints of different respiratory viruses, the presence of resonant noise from impurity particles in respiratory virus aerosols can also cause the characteristic fingerprints to become obscured if the concentration of respiratory viruses is very low. This reduces detection sensitivity, making it impossible to detect the components of respiratory viruses, leading to a decrease in detection effectiveness or even complete loss of detection. However, research has shown that properly designed field-enhanced structures can significantly enhance the interaction between terahertz waves and matter, enhancing resonant absorption and significantly improving detection sensitivity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a highly sensitive rapid detection device and method for respiratory viruses. This device and method achieve a significant breakthrough in terahertz biophotonics for rapid virus detection, offering advantages such as high efficiency, rapidity, high sensitivity, and modularity.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions of the present invention are as follows:

[0006] A high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device, which is characterized by comprising a terahertz light source system, a respiratory virus testing unit, and a terahertz spectrum analysis unit:

[0007] The respiratory virus testing unit includes a respiratory virus aerosol generator, a well-sealed air chamber for storing respiratory virus aerosols, and a waste recovery device. The air chamber has an air inlet, an air outlet, a light inlet, and a light outlet. The air inlet is connected to the aerosol generator, the air outlet is connected to the input end of the waste recovery device, the terahertz light output by the terahertz light source enters the air chamber from the light inlet, and the light outlet is connected to the input port of the terahertz spectrum analysis unit; the light hole of the air chamber uses a TPX window or an HDPE window, which has extremely high terahertz light wave transmittance.

[0008] The terahertz light source system is a metal wire waveguide terahertz light source, a terahertz light source generated by femtosecond laser filamentation, a broadband tunable terahertz light source generated by laser difference frequency, a terahertz light source generated by laser-driven organic crystal optical rectification, a terahertz light source generated by laser and plasma interaction, or a mature and commercialized terahertz light source based on photoconductive antenna technology and nonlinear optical rectification effect.

[0009] The material of the air chamber of the respiratory virus testing unit includes but is not limited to organic glass and metal. In order to ensure that the light hole of the air chamber has extremely high terahertz light wave transmittance, TPX window or HDPE window is used.

[0010] The method for rapid detection of respiratory viruses using the above-mentioned high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

[0011] 1) The aerosol generator mixes the respiratory virus and the metal nanoparticles uniformly to prepare the respiratory virus aerosol with uniform density, which is then input into the air chamber through the air inlet, and the air chamber is filled with the respiratory virus aerosol;

[0012] 2) The terahertz light output by the terahertz light source enters the air chamber through the light inlet, and the terahertz light interacts with the respiratory virus aerosol. Due to the excitation of the metal nanoparticles by the incident light in a specific wavelength band, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect is generated;

[0013] 3) The terahertz light wave carrying the respiratory virus component information enters the terahertz spectrum analysis unit from the light exit hole, and the characteristic fingerprint spectrum of the respiratory virus is obtained after calculation and analysis;

[0014] 4) After being measured, the respiratory virus aerosol is input into the waste recovery device through the air outlet to safely treat the respiratory virus aerosol.

[0015] The advantages of the technical solution of the present invention are:

[0016] 1. The present invention uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering technology in the air chamber to improve detection sensitivity, thereby achieving better respiratory virus detection results.

[0017] 2. This invention has achieved a major breakthrough in the rapid detection of viruses using terahertz biophotonics, and has the advantages of high efficiency, rapidity, high sensitivity, and modularity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the highly sensitive respiratory virus rapid detection device of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the virus detection unit used in the method for rapid detection of respiratory viruses with high sensitivity according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] See also Figure 1 , which is a structural diagram of a method for realizing a high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device according to the present invention. As can be seen from the figure, the high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device according to the present invention includes a terahertz light source system 1, a respiratory virus testing unit 2, and a terahertz spectrum analysis unit 3:

[0022] The respiratory virus testing unit 2 includes a respiratory virus aerosol generator, a well-sealed air chamber for storing respiratory virus aerosol 204, and a waste recovery device. The air chamber has an air inlet 201, an air outlet 202, a light inlet 203, and a light outlet 205. The air inlet 201 is connected to the aerosol generator, and the air outlet 202 is connected to the input end of the waste recovery device. The terahertz light output by the terahertz light source 1 enters the air chamber from the light inlet 203, and the light outlet 205 is connected to the input port of the terahertz spectrum analysis unit 3; the light hole of the air chamber uses a TPX window or an HDPE window, which has extremely high terahertz light wave transmittance.

[0023] The terahertz light source system 1 is a metal wire waveguide terahertz light source, a femtosecond laser filamentation-generated terahertz light source, a laser difference frequency-generated broadband tunable terahertz light source, a laser-driven organic crystal optical rectification-generated terahertz light source, a laser-plasma interaction-generated terahertz light source, or a mature commercial terahertz light source based on photoconductive antenna technology and nonlinear optical rectification effect.

[0024] The material of the air chamber of the respiratory virus testing unit includes but is not limited to organic glass and metal. In order to ensure that the light hole of the air chamber has extremely high terahertz light wave transmittance, TPX window or HDPE window is used.

[0025] The method for rapid detection of respiratory viruses using the above-mentioned high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device comprises the following steps:

[0026] 1) The aerosol generator mixes the respiratory virus and the metal nanoparticles uniformly to prepare the respiratory virus aerosol 204 of uniform density, which is input into the air chamber through the air inlet 201, and the air chamber is filled with the respiratory virus aerosol 204;

[0027] 2) The terahertz light output by the terahertz light source enters the air chamber through the light inlet 203, and the terahertz light interacts with the respiratory virus aerosol 204. Since the metal nanoparticles are excited by the incident light in a specific wavelength band, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect is generated;

[0028] 3) The terahertz light wave carrying the respiratory virus component information enters the terahertz spectrum analysis unit 3 from the light exit hole 205, and the characteristic fingerprint spectrum of the respiratory virus is obtained after calculation and analysis;

[0029] 4) After being measured, the respiratory viral aerosol 204 is input into the waste recovery device through the air outlet 202 for safe disposal of the respiratory viral aerosol.

[0030] Example

[0031] The terahertz light source system 1 employed in this embodiment utilizes a femtosecond laser-driven optical rectification technique for organic crystals (DSTMS) to generate a terahertz light source. The respiratory virus testing unit 2 includes the preparation of respiratory virus aerosols and the interaction between the terahertz light source and the respiratory virus aerosols. The spectral analysis unit 3 calculates and analyzes the characteristic terahertz absorption spectrum that carries information about the respiratory virus components.

[0032] This embodiment implements a method for highly sensitive respiratory virus detection, and its working method is as follows:

[0033] The light emitted by the terahertz light source system 1 is used as detection light, passes through the respiratory virus detection unit 2 and interacts with the respiratory virus aerosol to generate a specific absorption spectrum, and then passes through the terahertz spectrum analysis unit 3 to obtain a characteristic absorption spectrum.

[0034] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the working structure of the virus detection unit described in the embodiment. The air chamber has an air inlet 201, an air outlet 202, a light inlet 203, and a light outlet 205. The air inlet 201 is connected to the aerosol generator, and the air outlet 202 is connected to the input end of the waste recovery device. The terahertz light output by the terahertz light source 1 enters the air chamber through the light inlet 203, and the light outlet 205 is connected to the input port of the terahertz spectrum analysis unit 3. The respiratory virus aerosol prepared by uniformly mixing respiratory viruses and metal nanoparticles by the aerosol generator enters the air chamber through the air inlet 201. The air outlet 202 is connected to the waste recovery device to safely dispose of the respiratory virus aerosol after measurement. The terahertz light source enters the air chamber from the light inlet 203 and interacts with the respiratory virus aerosol 204. Since metal nanoparticles will produce a surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect under the excitation of incident light in a specific band, the sensitivity of the detection signal will be greatly improved under the same respiratory virus concentration. At this time, the terahertz light wave carrying the respiratory virus component information will enter the terahertz spectrum analysis unit 3 from the light outlet 205, and the characteristic fingerprint spectrum of the respiratory virus will be obtained after calculation and analysis.

[0035] The present invention utilizes the surface enhanced Raman scattering effect to greatly improve the sensitivity of signal detection, thereby obtaining a better virus detection effect.

[0036] Experiments show that the present invention uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering technology in the air chamber to improve detection sensitivity, thereby achieving better respiratory virus detection results.

[0037] The present invention has achieved a major breakthrough in the rapid detection of viruses using terahertz biophotonics, and has the advantages of high efficiency, rapidity, high sensitivity, and modularity and mobility.

[0038] Of course, the method for achieving high-sensitivity respiratory virus detection of the present invention may also have various variations and modifications, and is not limited to the specific structure of the above embodiment. In short, the scope of protection of the present invention should include those variations, substitutions, and modifications that are obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device, characterized in that: include: A terahertz light source system (1), a respiratory virus testing unit (2), and a terahertz spectrum analysis unit (3); The respiratory virus testing unit (2) comprises a respiratory virus aerosol generator, a sealed air chamber storing respiratory virus aerosol (204), and a waste recovery device, wherein the air chamber has an air inlet (201), an air outlet (202), a light inlet (203), and a light outlet (205), wherein the air inlet (201) is connected to the aerosol generator, the air outlet (202) is connected to the input end of the waste recovery device, the terahertz light output by the terahertz light source system (1) enters the air chamber from the light inlet (203), and the light outlet (205) is connected to the input port of the terahertz spectrum analysis unit (3); wherein the respiratory virus aerosol (204) contains metal nanoparticles.

2. The high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device is characterized in that the light inlet (203) and the light outlet (205) are made of TPX windows or HDPE windows, which have extremely high terahertz light wave transmittance.

3. The high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terahertz light source system (1) is a metal wire waveguide terahertz light source, a femtosecond laser filamentation-generated terahertz light source, a laser difference frequency-generated broadband tunable terahertz light source, a laser-driven organic crystal optical rectification-generated terahertz light source, a laser-plasma interaction-generated terahertz light source, or a mature commercialized terahertz light source based on photoconductive antenna technology and nonlinear optical rectification effect.

4. The high-sensitivity respiratory virus rapid detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the air chamber is organic glass or metal.

5. A method for rapid detection of respiratory viruses using the highly sensitive respiratory virus rapid detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: 1) The aerosol generator mixes the respiratory virus and the metal nanoparticles to prepare a respiratory virus aerosol (204) with uniform density, and inputs the mixed mixture into the air chamber through the air inlet (201), so that the air chamber is filled with the respiratory virus aerosol (204); 2) The terahertz light output by the terahertz light source system (1) enters the air chamber through the light inlet (203), and the terahertz light interacts with the respiratory virus aerosol (204). Due to the excitation of the metal nanoparticles by the incident light in a specific wavelength band, a surface enhanced Raman scattering effect is generated; 3) The terahertz light wave carrying the respiratory virus component information enters the terahertz spectrum analysis unit (3) from the light exit hole (205), and after analysis, a characteristic fingerprint spectrum of the respiratory virus is obtained; 4) After measurement, the respiratory virus aerosol (204) is input into the waste recovery device through the air outlet (202) to safely treat the respiratory virus aerosol.

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