Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

On-Site Periodontitis Diagnosis via Room-Temperature Oral Exhalation H2S Sensor Based on Yb-Doped Bi2S3 Nanoribbon

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02273-x
Ping Guo
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Kai Wang
Department of Stomatology Center, Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital, Harbin 150036, People’s Republic of China
Xuyang An
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Xuanyu Ren
Key Laboratory of Bio‑Based Material Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, People’s Republic of China
Xinxin He
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Yinhua Hu
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Lijie Zhou
School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Guohua Cai
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, People’s Republic of China
Lifeng Wang
School of Science, City Campus Australia, RMIT University, 124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Tiezhu Liu
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Wenyu Ge
Department of Stomatology Center, Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital, Harbin 150036, People’s Republic of China
Jia Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Jia Zhang

zhangjia@hit.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 430

Abstract

H2S gas in oral exhalation is a critical biomarker for early periodontitis diagnosis, yet practical on-site detection via portable sensors remains challenging. Herein, we report a room-temperature H2S sensor based on CAU-17-derived Yb-doped Bi2S3 (Yb-Bi2S3) nanoribbons for rapid periodontitis screening. The sensor exhibits segmented linearity ranging from 5 ppb to 5 ppm, with a 3.31 response at 100 ppb, 11 s response time, and superior selectivity. Mechanism analysis combined with density functional theory calculations demonstrates that the superior detection performance originates from Yb doping-induced lattice distortion in Bi2S3, which enhances oxygen anion formation and specific H2S adsorption capability. Notably, the sensor quantifies H2S production from cultured Porphyromonas gingivalis, corroborating the correlation between oral pathogens, H2S, and periodontitis. Additionally, it effectively discriminates exhaled H2S levels on-site between healthy individuals and periodontitis patients in clinical validation. This work provides a promising platform for sensitive biomarker detection, paving the way for advanced intelligent medical diagnostics.


Highlights:
1 A novel Yb-doped Bi2S3 H2S sensor was fabricated for periodontitis exhalation diagnosis, which enables room temperature detection with high response (3.31/100 ppb) and superior selectivity.
2 Mechanism analysis combined with density functional theory calculations confirms that Yb doping-induced lattice distortion in Bi2S3 enhances O2- formation and H2S adsorption.
3 The sensor quantifies H2S produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis to confirm the association among pathogens, H2S and periodontitis, and is integrated into a portable analyzer for rapid, real‑time diagnosis and severity assessment of periodontitis clinically.

Keywords

Periodontitis diagnosis On-site Oral exhalation H2S sensor Yb-doped Bi2S3 nanoribbon
Guo, Ping, Kai Wang, Xuyang An, Xuanyu Ren, Xinxin He, Yinhua Hu, Lijie Zhou, Guohua Cai, Lifeng Wang, Tiezhu Liu, Wenyu Ge, and Jia Zhang. 2026. “On-Site Periodontitis Diagnosis via Room-Temperature Oral Exhalation H2S Sensor Based on Yb-Doped Bi2S3 Nanoribbon”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (July):430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02273-x.
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