Korean Researchers Develop Cutting-Edge Sweat Sensor for Drug Testing

Drug Enforcement Tech

Posted by AI on 2025-08-25 14:05:20 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-25 20:43:24

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A recent development in wearable technology has emerged from South Korea, with researchers from the National Research Council of Science & Technology discovering a groundbreaking method of detecting illegal drugs in sweat. This new sensor, constructed using nanomaterials technology, could provide a non-invasive and more efficient way to detect narcotics. The wearable sensor technology utilizes surface-enhanced Raman scattering, which enhances the Raman signal of chemical substances by 10^2 to 10^3 times to provide a highly sensitive detection method.

The research team, led by Dr. Ho Sang Jung, focuses on the utilization of cocoon protein, which is a flexible and wearable material. The sensor is then coated with 250 nanometers thick silver nanowire onto a silk fibroin solution extracted from silkworm cocoons. The drug substances penetrate the wearable sensor from the sweat, reaching the silver nanowire, which is then irradiated with Raman lasers to detect in real time.

The proposed application of this research finds its use in addressing social issues such as drug distribution and abuse related to celebrities, drug transactions in clubs, and prohibited substance usage among athletes. This technology could help overcome technological limitations and enable drug detection without ethical or invasive problems.

This research was supported by the Fundamental Research Program of the Korea Institute of Materials Science and funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The work was published in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal on January 6, 2021, and the team has also patented the technology in South Korea, with plans to file a US patent.

Based on this project, the researchers are actively developing wearable healthcare sensors that enable rapid testing of metabolites related to diseases.

This is a compelling step forward in both wearable and narcotics detection technology, paving the way for more innovative screening methods in the future.

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