STTR Phase I: Rational design of highly sensitive and selective chemical sensors using structural color

这一小企业技术转让项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是开发嵌入传感器的“智能”饮品(即搅拌器、吸管和杯子)，以便在消费“添加”饮料之前主动提醒消费者，从而提供一种主动预防毒品促成的性侵犯的方法。这种传感器技术基于“智能”分子印迹变色纳米材料，不需要使用传统的实验室仪器进行繁琐的样品制备和分析程序。使用比色传感器作为高性价比的消费者传感器有着比仅仅检测枣油菜毒品更广泛的应用，包括现场检测可以帮助保护消费者免受其他有害化学物质、病原体、药物、爆炸物、神经毒剂、过敏原等的影响。此外，该项目将利用结构色推进比色传感技术，成为一个强大而快速的传感平台，用于高灵敏度、高响应时间和高准确度的药物监测。该STTR第一阶段项目建议开发一种基于高精度、变色传感器的平台技术，最初将用于连续监测饮料中的枣油菜药物。并即时检测到这些掺杂物是否存在。毒品促成的性侵犯已经成为一个重要的问题，但目前市场上还没有药物感应饮品。这种药物传感器将使用高选择性的分子印迹聚合物作为靶向药物受体，使用无毒的变色纳米材料作为信号报告。研究范围包括作为靶向药物结合事件信号报告的变色纳米材料的合理设计，高选择性分子印迹聚合物的开发及其与报告分子的整合，以及变色传感器在不同基质和条件下的测试，以验证其敏感性和特异性。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project will be the development of sensor-embedded "smart" drinkware (i.e., stirrers, straws and cups) to actively alert consumers prior to consumption of a "spiked" beverage, and thus provide a proactive way to prevent drug-facilitated sexual assault. This sensor technology is based on "smart" molecularly imprinted color-changing nanomaterials that eliminate the need to run tedious sample preparation and analysis procedures using conventional laboratory instrument. The use of a colorimetric sensor as a cost-effective consumer sensor has far broader applications than just date rape drug detection, including applications where on-the-spot detection could help protect consumers from other harmful chemicals, pathogens, drugs, explosives, nerve agents, allergens, etc. In addition, this project will advance colorimetric sensing technology using structural color into a robust and rapid sensing platform for drug monitoring with high sensitivity, response time, and accuracy.This STTR Phase I project proposes to develop a platform technology based on a highly accurate, color-changing sensor that will initially be used to continuously monitor a beverage for date rape drugs, and instantaneously detect these adulterants if they are present. Drug-facilitated sexual assault has become a significant issue, but there is currently no drug-sensing drinkware available on the market. This drug sensor will be implemented using highly selective molecular imprinted polymers as target drug receptors and non-toxic color-changing nanomaterials as signaling reporters. The scope of the research includes the rational design of the color-changing nanomaterial used as a signaling reporter for the target drug binding event, the development of a highly selective molecularly imprinted polymer and its integration with reporters, and the testing of the color-changing sensor under different matrices and conditions to verify its sensitivity and specificity.