Microscale devices for detection of key pollutants in the built environment

极性挥发性有机化合物（pVOC）对大气的功能有深远的影响，许多也是有毒的空气污染物。然而，它们很难测量，具有粘性、反应性，在某些情况下热不稳定。这些相同的物种在建筑环境中也非常重要，对室内空气质量、气味、人类健康产生负面影响，并造成诸如病态建筑综合症等代价高昂的影响。通过以前的NERC支持，我们开发了一种独特的微流体方法来测量大气中pVOCs的痕量水平。我们使用一种新颖的芯片实验室技术实现了这一目标，该技术允许pVOCs在气相中进行高效的化学衍生化，简单地说，将目标分子转化为更容易检测的更稳定的形式。一旦衍生化，pVOCs就可以使用气相色谱和质谱等常见的分析技术进行测量，这些仪器在大多数现代化学实验室中都可以找到。我们新技术的关键是一个微型反应器，它集成了三个实验室功能：(1)气体和液体混合器和反应器，衍生化发生在其中，(2)控制试剂加热以加快分析，(3)样品预浓缩以降低检测限。微反应器的输出是一微升的处理过的样品流出流，这些样品将pVOCs从气相中剥离出来，形成稳定的高浓度液体形式，可以直接引入气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）或其他技术。微反应器可以完全自动化，通过在高温下提供快速高效的衍生化反应，并使用非常低的化学量，为其他多步骤的人工分析过程提供了高效的解决方案。建筑环境中pVOCs气相的评估是一个具有重大经济影响的普遍问题，并且很少有有效的技术解决方案。这些化学物质一般是从家具、地毯、油漆和建筑材料中排放出来的，近年来，欧盟、美国和中国出台了重要的新法规要求，对简单有效的测量方法产生了重大但尚未得到满足的需求。在欧盟销售的任何用于建筑环境的产品都必须符合最新的2013年建筑产品法规指令，然后才能销售，供应商必须通过内部测试产品或将分析外包给第三方实验室来证明这一点。因此，我们提出的后续资金创新是采用为大气化学利基领域开发的技术，并将其转化为与气体排放材料测试和建筑环境相关的分析行业迫切需要的交钥匙样品制备产品。我们计划完成全功能原型设备的技术实现，并与商业伙伴合作开发特定行业的示范活动。我们确定此类专业分析设备的全球市场相对较小（以数百至数千台计），但改进的低成本测试可提高产品竞争力，并具有更广泛的经济影响。因此，这项创新的社会和经济影响应该被更广泛地看待，而不仅仅是单纯从设备销售中获得的商业收入。

Polar volatile organic compounds (pVOC) have a profound impact on the functioning of the atmosphere and many are also toxic airborne pollutants. They are however very difficult to measure, being sticky, reactive and in some cases thermally unstable. These same species are also very significant in the built environment, negatively influencing indoor air quality, malodours, human health and contributing to costly effects such as sick building syndrome. Through previous NERC support we developed a unique microfluidic approach to measuring trace levels of pVOCs in the atmosphere. We achieved this using a novel lab-on-a-chip technology that allows for a highly efficient chemical derivatization of pVOCs in the gas phase, which in simple terms converts the target molecules into more stable forms that are much easier to detect. Once derivatised, pVOCs can then be measured using common analytical techniques such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, instruments that are found in most modern chemical laboratories.The key to our new technology is a micro-reactor that integrates together three laboratory functions: (1) a gas and liquid mixer and reactor, where derivatization takes place, (2) controlled reagent heating to speed up the analysis, and (3) sample pre-concentration to enable lower detection limits. The output from the micro-reactor is a microlitre effluent stream of processed sample that has stripped the pVOCs from the gas phase into a stable and highly concentrated liquid form, and that is ready for direct introduction to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) or other technique. The micro-reactor can be completely automated and provides a highly effective solution to an otherwise multi-step, manual analytical procedure by providing a fast and highly efficient derivatization reaction at elevated temperatures, and using very low chemical volumesThe assessment of pVOCs in the gas phase in the built environment is a widespread problem with significant economic impacts, and for which here are few effective technical solutions. These chemicals are emitted from furniture, carpets, paints and building construction materials in general and there have been significant new regulatory requirements introduced in the EU, USA and China in recent years that have created a major but as yet unmet demand for simple and efficient measurement methods. Any product sold for the built environment in the EU must comply with the very recent 2013 Construction Productn Regulation Directives before it can be put on sale and a supplier must demonstrate this either by testing their products in-house, or outsourcing the analysis to third-party laboratories. Our proposed innovation for follow-on funding is therefore to take a technology developed for a niche area of atmospheric chemistry and translate this into a urgently required turn-key sample preparative product for the analytical industries associated with gaseous emissions materials testing and the built environment. We plan to complete the technical implementation of a fully functional prototype device and work with commercial partners to develop demonstration activities for particular industriesWe identify that the global market for such specialised analytical devices is relatively modest (measured in hundreds to low thousands of units), but that the improved lower-cost testing leads to improved product competitiveness, with much wider economic impacts . The societal and economic impact of the innovation should therefore be viewed more widely than simply the commercial revenue that might be obtained from device sales alone.