IntroductionFundamental vibrational and rotational modes associated with most inorganic and organic molecules are spectroscopically accessible within the mid-infrared (MIR; 3-20 µm) regime of the electromagnetic spectrum. The interaction between MIR photons and organic molecules provides particularly sharp transitions, which -despite the wide variety of organic molecules -provide unique MIR absorption spectra reflecting the molecularly characteristic arrangement of chemical bonds within the probed molecules via the frequency position of the associated vibrational and rotational transitions. Given the inherent molecular selectivity and achievable sensitivity, MIR spectroscopy provides an ideal platform for optical sensing applications. Despite this potential, early MIR sensing applications were limited to localized applications due to the size of the involved instrumentation, and limited availability of appropriately compact MIR optical components including light sources, detectors, waveguides, and spectrometers. During the last decades, engineering advances in photonics and optical engineering have facilitated the translation of benchtop-style MIR spectroscopy into miniaturized optical sensing schemes providing a footprint compatible with portable instrumentation requirements for field deployable analytical tools. In this trend article, we will discuss recent advances and future strategies for miniaturizing MIR sensor technology. The BeerLambert law implies that achievable limit of detection (LOD) for any optical sensor system improves by increasing the interaction length between photons and target analyte species such as e.g., folding the optical path multiple times as in multi-pass gas phase sensing; however, this governing paradigm naturally leads to an increase in system dimensions. Hence, miniaturization of optical sensing system requires scaling down of each optical component, yet improving the performance of each optical element within a smaller form factor for overall at least maintaining, or ideally improving the achievable sensitivity.

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Exhaled breath contains more than 1000 constituents at trace level concentrations, with a wide variety of these compounds potentially serving as biomarkers for specific diseases, physiologic status, or therapeutic progress. Some of the compounds in exhaled breath (EB) are well studied, and their relationship with disease pathologies is well established. However, molecularly specific analysis of such biomarkers in EB at clinically relevant levels remains an analytical and practical challenge due to the low levels of such biomarkers frequently below the ppb (v/v) range in EB. In this contribution, mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopic sensing techniques are reviewed for potential application in breath diagnostics. While the spectral regime from 3-20 m has already been utilized for fundamental studies on breath analysis, significant further improvements are in demand for substantiating MIR spectroscopy and sensing techniques as a suitable candidate for clinically deployable breath analyzers. Several advantageous features including inherent molecular selectivity, real-time monitoring capability, comparable ease of operation, potentially low costs, and a compact device footprint promise reliable optical diagnostics in the MIR. Hence, while the application of MIR spectroscopy and sensing systems to breath analysis yet appear in their infancy, recent progress on advanced MIR light sources, waveguides, and device concepts forecasts next-generation optical sensing platforms suitable for addressing the challenges of in situ breath diagnostics.

Simultaneous and molecularly selective parts-per-billion detection of benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) using a thermal desorption (TD)-FTIR hollow waveguide (HWG) trace gas sensor is demonstrated here for the first time combining laboratory calibration with real-world sample analysis in field. A calibration range of 100-1000 ppb analyte/N(2) was developed and applied for predicting the concentration of blinded environmental air samples within the same concentration range, and demonstrate close agreement with the validation method used here, GC-FID. The analyte concentration prediction capability of the TD-FTIR-HWG trace gas sensor also compares well with the industrial standard and other experimental techniques including GC-PID, ultrafast GC-FID, and GC-DMS, which were simultaneously operated in the field. With the advent of a quantum cascade laser with emission frequencies specifically tailored to efficiently overlap benzene absorption as the most relevant analyte, the overall sensor footprint could be considerably reduced to ultimately yield hand-held trace gas sensors facilitating direct and real-time detection of BTX in air down to low ppb levels.

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