Microelectrodes for Environmental Monitoring

描述（由申请人提供）：超级基金和其他危险废物场地的修复需要大量使用监测程序，以确保存在特定毒物的生物修复或化学降解所需的环境条件，并验证正在进行污染物清除。微电极（尖端直径为1 -10飞摩尔，Fm）可用于在实验室高度控制的条件下进行此类测量，但没有一种可用于商业环境。第一阶段SBIR的目标是开发自给自足的微电极，用于环境中监测污染土壤和沉积物中的各种成分。这些器件将包含一种新型微电极，与微电子电路紧密连接，用于放大、处理和传输微电极信号。最初，微电极将用于溶解氧（安培），pH和铵（电位）和氧化还原电位，ORP（电导）。该技术将在第二阶段进行改进，以制造无数其他微电极。这些装置可在超级基金场址使用，以监测补救进展，核实是否具备适当的操作条件，并确保有毒化学品得到有效清除或解毒，从而最大限度地减少来自超级基金场址的公共健康威胁。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):Remediation of Superfund and other hazardous waste sites requires the significant use of monitoring procedures to ensure that environmental conditions required for bioremediation or chemical degradation of specific toxicants are present, and to verify that pollutant removal is occurring. Microelectrodes (tip diameters of l-10 femtomoles, Fm) can be used to make such measurements in a laboratory under highly controlled conditions, but none are commercially available for use in the environment. The goal of this Phase I SBIR is to develop self-contained microelectrodes to be used in the environment to monitor a variety of constituents in contaminated soils and sediments. These devices will contain a new type of microelectrode connected intimately to a microelectronic circuit for amplifying, processing, and transmitting microelectrode signals. Initially, the microelectrodes will be for dissolved oxygen (amperometric), pH and ammonium (potentiometric) and redox-potential, ORP (conductimetric). The techniques will then be modified in Phase II to make a myriad of other microelectrodes. These devices can be used at Superfund sites to monitor the remediation progress, to verify that proper operating conditions are in place, and to ensure that the toxic chemicals are being effectively removed or detoxified, leading to a minimization of public health threats from the Superfund site.