STTR Phase II: SMART Colorimetric Sensor for Airborne Methane Detection

该小型企业技术转让(STTR)第二阶段项目旨在开发一种传感器，该传感器能够为天然气的检测和量化提供准确、小型、经济高效和低功耗的设备。目前美国工业天然气检漏仪市场估计为3.25亿美元，而家用天然气检漏仪市场超过20亿美元，这两者都表明了这项技术的强大市场潜力。基于噬菌体的比色传感是一种新的传感机制，在许多应用中具有取代和改进检测的潜力。这个项目如果成功，将产生一些更广泛的影响。首先，美国天然气行业每年泄漏6700亿立方英尺(Cf)甲烷。更好地监测和回收损失的天然气将减少对进口天然气的依赖(2015年为3万亿cf)，从而刺激经济增长和减少浪费。此外，一种新型传感器可以提供准确、紧凑、廉价和节能的天然气监测，并具有无线通信功能，将使大规模天然气排放监测研究成为可能，为科学家和监管机构提供工具。最后，减少甲烷排放将有助于应对气候变化，因为甲烷是一种强大的温室气体。在第一阶段项目中，我们成功地制造了比色薄膜传感器，开发了数据分析算法，并表明我们的传感器对天然气的单个组分具有一致性和选择性，具有工业上合适的灵敏度。在第二阶段，我们将进一步改进噬菌体传感器的生产和性能。这个二期工程有六个目标。第一种是使用精密气体校准仪器进行传感器校准，以提高传感器的精度。其次，传感器将接受环境压力测试，以评估寿命。第三，将进行放大可行性研究，以确定和优化传感器成本。第四项任务涉及开发改进的、更便宜的传感器设计，而第五项任务将优化新传感器的生产工艺。第六个目标涉及对传感器进行更全面的描述。预计到第二阶段结束时，我们将拥有具有数据识别算法的精确校准的气体传感器，以及已建立和可扩展的制造模式，从而改进天然气比色传感器开发套件，更好地满足客户在该领域的需求。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project aims to develop a sensor with the ability to provide an accurate, small, cost-effective, and low-power device for the detection and quantification of natural gas. The current U.S. industrial natural gas leak detector market is estimated to be $325 million, while the residential natural gas detector market exceeds $2 billion, both of which indicate the strong market potential of this technology. Phage-based colorimetric sensing is a new sensing mechanism, and has the potential to replace and improve detection across many applications. This project, if successful, will have a number of broader impacts. Firstly, 670 billion cubic feet (cf) of methane is leaked annually in the U.S. natural gas industry. Better monitoring and recapturing of the lost gas will result in less reliance on imported gas (3 trillion cf in 2015), thus stimulating economic growth and reducing waste. Additionally, a new type of sensor that provides accurate, compact, inexpensive, and power-efficient natural gas monitoring with wireless communication capabilities will enable large scale natural gas emission monitoring studies, providing a tool for scientists and regulators. Finally, a reduction of methane emissions will help combat climate change, as methane is a powerful greenhouse gas.During the Phase I project, we have successfully fabricated colorimetric thin-film sensors, developed a data analysis algorithm, and shown our sensors are both consistent and selective against individual components of natural gas at industrially-suitable sensitivity. In Phase II, we will further improve the production and performance of the phage sensors. There are six objectives in this Phase II project. The first is to do sensor calibration using precise gas calibration instrumentation to improve sensor accuracy. Secondly, the sensors will undergo environmental stress testing to evaluate longevity. Third, a scale-up feasibility study will be undertaken to determine and optimize sensor cost. The fourth task involves the development of improved and more inexpensive sensor designs, while the fifth task will optimize the production process of the new sensor. The sixth objective involves a more comprehensive characterization of the sensor. It is anticipated that by the end of Phase II, we will have a precisely- calibrated gas sensor with data recognition algorithms, and an established and scalable manufacturing model, resulting in an improved colorimetric sensor development kit for natural gas that better meets customer needs in the field.