This SBIR Phase I project will develop a unique "lab-on-a-chip", with the objective to be able to simultaneously detect several water contaminants down to parts-per-billion levels. The separation method to be used is an innovative microfluidics undulating electro-osmosis technique which uses a capillary tube with a varying diameter. The detector is a surface-enhanced Raman spectrophotometer using embedded metallic nanoparticles. The project team will conduct tests of the instrument using perchlorate and nicotine as the target species for testing. These target species are to be adsorbed onto gold nanoparticles.
The broader/commercial impact of the proposed project will be that this could lead to the capability of detecting a broad array of contaminants in the natural environment such as emerging pharmaceuticals, arsenic, heavy metals, melanine, plasticizers, etc. Contaminants of national security risk would be additional targets. Labs-on-a-chip have been developed and commercialized by several companies, but in general they are limited to basic analyses such as pH, conductivity, etc., and/or they can detect specific organic or inorganic compounds only to parts per million levels. Being able to go down to parts per billion levels will be a great benefit for numerous applications such as on-site investigations. Coupling the novel separation technique to the surface-enhanced Raman spectrophotometer could result in a unique technology that could be quite useful for detecting and quantifying many chemical species in water.
Laboratory testing of water for contaminants is a $3.6 billion dollar market. Examples of required testing include industrial process discharge, municipal water purity, well water testing and sewage discharge. In many areas of the country, water needs require reuse and confirmation that it is clean before returning to the environment. Existing tests require expensive equipment and often a week from sample to results, making timely corrective action very difficult. OndaVia is developing a water-testing instrument that will allow real-time, sophisticated water analysis on site. By providing a portable instrument and associated consumables for water testing, OndaVia will speed test response from days to minutes, while providing the required laboratory-grade results. The user loads a water sample onto a single-use cartridge containing OndaVia’s patent-pending technology, then inserts the cartridge into the handheld instrument for analysis. The instrument analyzes the sample, providing the user with a list of contaminants and corresponding concentrations. The objective is a comprehensive water analysis instrument, designed to measure a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds, and heavy metals at a part-per-billion level. The eSERS™ detection technology demonstrated in this Phase I SBIR effort uses microfluidic delivery and specific geometries to position signal-enhancing particles at detection locations within a longer separation channel. The objective of this effort was to demonstrate our eSERS technology by detecting nicotine and perchlorate as test compounds at 100 parts-per-billion. We achieved this goal, while also measuring selenium, trinitrotoluene, benzene, toluene, and xylenes, all at better than 1000 parts-per-billion. The Company will move this demonstration project into a commercial system during the Phase II effort starting early Q2 2011. We expect to provide prototype systems to beta customers in early summer 2011, followed by commercial availability of a perchlorate detection system in fall 2011.
