This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a novel chemical sensor technology for inline water quality monitoring. Currently, gas chromatography coupled mass spectroscopy is the most widely used technique for water quality analysis; however, the method is costly, time consuming, and can only be performed by well-trained personnel in a laboratory setting. To meet the market need for a portable, low-cost, and easy-to-use water analysis technology, the project will investigate a photonic sensor platform which resolves the aforementioned challenges through: 1) the development of a compact photonic sensor package consisting of an optical resonator sensor chip, a laser source, and battery power for standalone operation and field deployment; 2) the application of molecularly imprinted polymers as robust sensor coatings for highly selective molecular detection in a non-laboratory setting; and 3) the use of a pattern recognition algorithm to automatically detect and quantify individual component concentrations in a mixture.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is a portable, low-cost sensor product which meets the needs from the water quality monitoring market, a growing sector with a compounded annual growth rate of 4.6%. The implementation of chlorination disinfection systems has virtually eliminated waterborne diseases in the United States. However, disinfection byproducts pose different health risks, including reproductive endpoints, developmental defects, and cancer. If successful, the proposed sensor technology will eliminate/minimize the adverse human health effects caused by those chlorination disinfection byproducts by providing real-time water quality information. According to a recently released market research report, the global water analysis instrumentation market is projected to be $1.86 billion by 2017 with the online systems for water analysis instrumentation being predicted as the fastest growing market segment. A major limiting factor that prevents a wide market acceptance and penetration of existing online water monitoring devices is the relatively high investments involved. The proposed sensor implements the online water quality monitoring functions with mass-producible and inexpensive optical sensor elements and reusable sensor coatings. Consequently, successful demonstrations of the proposed sensor technology can facilitate a wider market acceptance and penetration of the online water quality monitoring devices.
In this NSF SBIR Phase I project, AlphaSense and the University of Delaware proven the feasibility of combining sensitive microdisk resonators and selective molecularly imprinted polymers for chlorinated organic compounds detection in water. We have achieved the following technical objectives: compared two different approaches to obtain highly selective sensor coatings using the molecularly imprinting technique: bulk polymerization and micro-emulsion polymerization. Characterized the resultant molecularly imprinted polymers including the selectivity/partition coefficients to the target analytes and their compatibility with the microdisk resonators. Based on the measurement results, the optimum molecularly imprinted polymer synthesis process was identified; fabricated high quality factor microdisk resonators, and demonstrated selective and sensitive detections of organic compound contaminants in water. To prepare the technology transition and commercialization, we have conducted the following community outreach activities: We have discussed with the Delaware Natural Resource and Environmental Control (DNREC) on potential field-testing and validation of the sensor technology; We have contacted a local water company for potential commercialization opportunities; We have presented the research results to the technical team in Smith Detection, which is mainly responsible for explosive and narcotic detection for homeland security. We have also discussed about potential transition possibility of the sensor technology into the homeland security market sectors. Additionally, a provisional patent derived from this research is under preparation.
