PFI-RP: Development and Commercialization of a Sensor for Lead in Water

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系项目具有更广泛的影响/商业潜力，可解决饮用水中的铅中毒问题。目前，市场上缺乏连续监测铅的设备。因此，在美国的多个城市，成千上万的儿童血液中的铅浓度增加。该项目将开发一个饮用水铅监测系统，该系统将在家庭中使用，价格低廉，操作简单。该装置将以类似于火灾报警器的方式运行，当铅浓度超过安全水平时，它会向家庭发出警报。这项研究的创新将提高对检测水中低浓度有毒金属的机制和设备的科学和技术理解。这项拟议中的研究将建立一个阿卡迪亚工业合作伙伴关系，通过先进的传感器持续监测来解决饮用水中的铅中毒问题。工业合作伙伴承诺将拟议研究的技术商业化，并将传感器推向市场。 拟议项目的重点是创建一个传感器和相关技术，用于测量饮用水中的铅浓度。可靠地检测和量化水中低浓度的铅是一项具有挑战性但重要的任务，因为这种重金属对健康，特别是对儿童的负面影响。目前，市场上缺乏连续监测的电极导线装置。为了解决这一问题，提出了一种基于碳纳米管纤维的新型传感元件，其降低了检测极限并允许传感器电极小型化。该传感器使用电化学分析技术来检测水中的铅。该方法可同时检测铅、铜、镉和汞的多元素，铅的检测限为万亿分之3.5，优于任何类似设备。 由于其简单性和紧凑性，该传感器允许部署在处理水的工业设施以及家庭中。控制传感器和电化学反应的可靠性和鲁棒性的因素将在准备由领先的国家水处理行业进行大规模生产的设备时确定。该项目的主要目标是为水消费者提供一种简单而廉价的铅定量工具。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project addresses lead poisoning in drinking water. Currently, there is a lack of devices that continuously monitor lead on the market. As a result, in multiple cities across the US, thousands of children are exhibit increased lead concentration in their blood. This project will develop a lead monitoring system for drinking water that will be accessible, inexpensive, and simple to operate in households. The device will operate in a similar manner to a fire alarm alerting households when lead concentrations exceed safe levels. The innovations in this research will enhance the scientific and technological understanding of mechanisms and devices to detect low concentrations of toxic metals in water. The proposed research will build an Accademia-Industry partnership needed to address lead poisoning in drinking water through continued monitoring by an advanced sensor. The industrial partner commits to commercializing the technology from the proposed research and to bring the sensor to the market. The proposed project is focused on creating a sensor and related technology for measuring lead concentrations in drinking water. Reliable detection and quantification of low concentrations of lead in water is a challenging but important task, given the negative health impacts of this heavy metal, particularly on children. Currently, there is a lack of continuously monitoring lead devices on the market. To address this, a new sensing element is proposed based on carbon nanotube fibers that lower the limit of detection and allow the sensor electrode to be miniaturized. The sensor uses an electrochemical analytical technique to sense lead in water. This approach offers simultaneous multielement detection for lead, copper, cadmium and mercury with 3.5 parts per trillion limit of detection for lead, outperforming any similar devices. Due to its simplicity and compactness, the sensor allows deployment in industrial facilities processing water as well as in households. Factors that control the reliability and robustness of the sensors and electrochemical reactions will be determined in preparation of the device for mass production by a leading national water processing industry. The main goal of this project is to provide water consumers with a simple and inexpensive tool for lead quantification.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.