SBIR Phase II: Novel Ultrasensitive Gas Chromatography (GC) Detector with Highly Specific Response to Aromatic Hydrocarbons

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将推进芳香族特定激光电离检测器（ArSLID）的商业化。 广泛用作气相色谱（GC）检测器和手持式有机蒸气分析仪的光电离检测器（PID）形成了ArSLID概念比较的自然基础。 ArSLID使用高重复频率脉冲激光而不是真空紫外灯来产生分子离子。 在第一阶段建造和测试的原型ArSLID比任何商业上可用的PID灵敏约10倍，响应时间短10倍，对芳烃的选择性高几个数量级。 线性动态范围至少为5个数量级。 ArSLID也不受水蒸气或氧气的干扰。 计划在第二阶段进行的技术改进包括将分辨率提高4位，并对激光脉冲重复频率的变化进行校正。 将添加功能，以方便ArSLID与现有GC轻松集成。 第二阶段的另一个重点将是应用程序开发，以显示ArSLID的多功能性和价值。 第一阶段的工作，强调GC检测，将扩大到HPLC检测，这开辟了生命科学的巨大机会。 芳香族化合物检测器将作为气相色谱、高效液相色谱（HPLC）、一般蒸气监测和专业环境技术的检测器得到广泛的应用。 其中，HPLC检测器作为高灵敏度、低成本的液相色谱-质谱联用仪的替代品具有最大的商业潜力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will advance commercialization of an aromatic-specific laser ionization detector (ArSLID). The photoionization detectors (PIDs) that are widely used as gas chromatography (GC) detectors and hand-held organic vapor analyzers form a natural basis of comparison for the ArSLID concept. The ArSLID uses a high repetition rate pulsed laser instead of a vacuum ultraviolet lamp to create molecular ions. The prototype ArSLID built and tested in Phase I is approximately 10-times more sensitive, has ten-times shorter response time, and is several orders of magnitude more selective toward aromatic hydrocarbons than any commercially available PID. The linear dynamic range is at least 5 orders-of-magnitude. The ArSLID is also immune from interferences by water vapor or oxygen. Technical improvements planned for Phase II include improving the resolution by 4 bits and correction for variations in the laser pulse repetition frequency. Features will be added to facilitate easy integration of the ArSLID with existing GCs. Another focus of Phase II will be applications development to show the versatility and value of ArSLID. The Phase I work, which emphasized GC detection, will be expanded to HPLC detection, which opens up tremendous opportunities in the Life Sciences. The aromatic-specific detector will find a wide range of applications as the detector for gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), general vapor monitoring, and specialized environmental techniques. Of these, the HPLC detector has the greatest commercial potential as a highly sensitive, low cost alternative the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer.