Porous materials applied to biomarker sensing in exhaled breath for monitoring and detecting non-invasive pathologies

The quantification of specific gases among thousands of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) present in the human breath at the ppm/ppb level can be used to evidence the presence of diseases in the human body. The detection of these biomarkers in human exhaled breath through a noninvasive approach is an important field of research that is still attracting significant attention to this day. A portable device working at room temperature and usable directly on exhaled breath samples is still a challenge requiring a sensing material with high performances. The rich composition of the human breath implies that the sensing material must be highly selective and sensitive (ppm/ppb) in high relative humidity (RH) conditions and preferably at room temperature. The present work intends to provide a review on recent works in this application field through the use of porous materials and discuss the importance of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for such application. MOFs are highly porous crystalline materials often used for gas detection and capture, thus raising questions about their potential for detection in exhaled breath.