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

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将推进芳香特异性激光电离探测器（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arglide概念的自然比较基础。ArSLID使用高重复率脉冲激光代替真空紫外线灯来产生分子离子。ArSLID的原型在第一阶段的测试中，其灵敏度提高了约10倍，响应时间缩短了10倍，并且对芳香烃的选择性比任何商用PID都要高几个数量级。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。第二阶段计划进行的技术改进包括将分辨率提高4位，并校正激光脉冲重复频率的变化。将增加功能，以方便ArSLID与现有gc的轻松集成。第二阶段的另一个重点将是应用开发，以展示ArSLID的多功能性和价值。以GC检测为主的I期工作将扩展到HPLC检测，这将为生命科学领域开辟巨大的机遇。芳香特异性检测器将广泛应用于气相色谱，高效液相色谱（HPLC），一般蒸汽监测和专业环境技术的检测器。其中，高效液相色谱检测器作为一种高灵敏度、低成本的液相色谱-质谱仪的替代品，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.