Formaldehyde Molecular Recognition Microsensor

这个三阶段的小企业创新研究项目解决了公共卫生保护中最重要的问题之一：监测室内空气质量和控制住宅，办公室和工业建筑的通风系统。提出了一种新型的、先进的空气中甲醛气体微传感器的研制。该传感方法利用在暴露于甲醛时在氧化锡层中诱导的电导率变化。对其他挥发性有机化学品的交叉敏感性通过具有亚纳米孔的惰性保护层对氧化锡表面进行图案化来消除，每个孔的形状选择性地容纳单个甲醛分子。 将这种新型传感材料纳入高面积纳米结构传感器平台将能够生产高灵敏度，选择性，低功耗和低成本的甲醛微传感器。第一阶段项目将通过制造传感器并在模拟受污染室内空气的条件下进行全面测试来证明拟议方法的可行性。为了确保第二阶段产品开发和第三阶段商业化的成功，我们与能源应用组件和系统的领先开发商之一建立了合作伙伴关系。 通过将配位化学与纳米技术和微制造相结合，所提出的方法可能使一种新型的低成本高灵敏度和选择性传感器系统能够精确定量监测人类接触有毒物质。因此，拟议的研究是高度相关的使命的国家环境健康科学研究所。 公共卫生相关性：该项目解决了公共卫生保护中最重要的问题之一：监测室内空气质量和控制住宅，办公室和工业建筑的通风系统。提出了用于检测甲醛的新型先进传感器的开发-甲醛是对人类健康最普遍和最危险的空气污染物之一。该技术将实现一种新型的高性能和低成本传感器系统，用于在接触点产生人类接触有害化学品的精确和定量测量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This three-phase Small Business Innovation Research project addresses one the most significant problems in public health protection: monitoring of indoor air quality and controlling the ventilation systems in residential, office and industrial buildings. The development of a novel advanced microsensor for detecting gaseous formaldehyde in air is proposed. The sensing method utilizes the conductivity change induced, upon exposure to formaldehyde, in a layer of tin oxide. Cross-sensitivity to other volatile organic chemicals is eliminated by patterning of the tin oxide surface by an inert protecting layer with sub-nanometer pores, each shaped to selectively host a single formaldehyde molecule. Incorporation of this novel sensing material into a high-area nanostructured sensor platform will enable production of highly sensitive, selective, low-power, and low-cost formaldehyde microsensors. The Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach through fabrication of sensors and their comprehensive testing in conditions simulating contaminated indoor air. To ensure successful Phase II product development and Phase III commercialization, partnership has been secured with one of the leading developers of components and systems for energy applications. By combining coordination chemistry with nanotechnology and microfabrication, the proposed approach is likely to enable a novel family of low-cost highly sensitive and selective sensor systems for precise quantitative monitoring of human exposures to toxicants. Thus, the proposed research is highly relevant to the mission of the National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences. Public Health Relevance: The project addresses one the most significant problems in public health protection: monitoring of indoor air quality and controlling the ventilation systems in residential, office, and industrial buildings. The development of novel advanced sensors for detecting formaldehyde - one of the most ubiquitous and dangerous for human health air contaminants - is proposed. The proposed technology will enable a novel family of high-performance and low-cost sensor systems for generating precise and quantitative measures of human exposure to harmful chemicals at the point of contact.