The synthetic opioid fentanyl, fifty times stronger than heroin, is a major driver of the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there were nearly 108,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2022, and 73,838 of those involved synthetic opioids — primarily fentanyl.
Now, a new sensor can detect this powerful opioid at femtogram-level concentrations. This technology could eventually be used by substance users trying to avoid an accidental overdose.
Fentanyl is cheap and powerful, says Alexander Star, a chemist at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, so illicit drug manufacturers often cut their products with it. As a result, many substance users who don’t even intend to take opioid-containing drugs may end up overdosing. In 2022, for example, five people died in a Colorado apartment from a single batch of what they believed to be cocaine, but which actually contained fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
However, determining if an illicit drug contains fentanyl is extremely difficult. Most methods of detecting fentanyl in a sample require large, expensive lab equipment. There are a few portable,...
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