A UV-vis spectrometer, as a sort of important analytical instrument, has been widely used to analyze various substances. However, expensive equipment and skilled operators are required, which limits its broad applications for out-of-lab and daily measurements. In this work, a self-designed sensing device based on smart phone was developed as a sensitive, cost-effective, facile, and portable testing tool. The sensing device fabricated by 3D printing was used to lodge a sample solution and produce a light signal, and the optical sensor on a smart phone worked as a transducer. The light source in the device generated wide-wavelength radiation, which passed through an inner filter and only light of a designated wavelength reached the testing solution. The intensity of transmitted light was then measured by an optical sensor internally installed in most smart phones, where the signals were processed as well. The feasibility of our device was verified by detecting four kinds of common heavy metal ions in actual water samples, and the testing results showed good agreement with those obtained from the UV-vis spectrometer. This work is expected to shed some light on the construction of smart phone–based sensors, featuring decent portability, simple operation, low cost, high sensitivity, and good accuracy.

紫外可见光谱仪作为一种重要的分析仪器，已被广泛用于分析各种物质。但是，需要昂贵的设备和熟练的操作员，这限制了其在实验室外和日常测量中的广泛应用。在这项工作中，基于智能手机的自行设计的传感设备被开发为一种灵敏，经济高效，轻便且便携式的测试工具。通过3D打印制造的传感设备用于存放样品溶液并产生光信号，而智能手机上的光学传感器则用作换能器。设备中的光源产生宽波长辐射，该辐射穿过内部滤光器，只有指定波长的光才能到达测试溶液。然后，通过安装在大多数智能手机内部的光学传感器来测量透射光的强度，在这些智能手机中也对信号进行处理。通过检测实际水样中四种常见的重金属离子，验证了该装置的可行性，测试结果与紫外可见分光光度计吻合良好。预期这项工作将为基于智能手机的传感器的构造提供一些启发，该传感器具有良好的便携性，简单的操作，低成本，高灵敏度和良好的准确性。