Flexible, Graphene-based Detector Arrays for Petrochemical Exposure Monitoring

 描述（由申请人提供）：随着天然气，页岩油和水力压裂行业的大规模增长，越来越多的工人比以往任何时候都暴露在有害的石化产品中。虽然工人似乎不会接触化学品，因为石油化学品是从地下深处提取的，但实际上它们处于危险之中，因为化学品通常是碳氢油和气体的混合物，在压力下被带到地面，在那里它们可能使维护分离，运输和储存设备的工人暴露。在石油和天然气工业中，可穿戴甲烷气体传感器是常见的，用于检测爆炸或易燃水平的危险，但不存在足够轻以穿戴以保护工人免受暴露的廉价技术，这些暴露在远低于其LEL的浓度下是危险的。这些类型的客户需要一种低成本的替代方案，以取代目前昂贵且劳动密集型的方法，即收集空气样本并将其送到实验室进行分析或使用Dräger管，这些方法灵敏度低，测量困难。 海岸科学公司建议为可能接触燃料的任何职业的工人（如石油和天然气行业以及经常接触燃料的机场（或车队）工人）创建可穿戴的个人暴露监测器 蒸汽和废气。这些传感器是由具有化学反应性的丝线编织而成的，丝线上有柔性电路.这种产品的新奇在于它可以不用微芯片衬底来制造。该剂量计/暴露监测器将结合联合收割机低成本组件，以形成可穿戴在工人的衣服、制服或防护服外部的轻质一次性贴片。这项研究是后续产品的第一步，特别是用于保护化学工业工人的智能服装和制服。 Seacoast将利用石墨烯的导电性质和我们将聚合物传感器商业化的悠久历史。该项目的总体目标是：（1）为剂量计阵列选择材料，这些材料可用于选择性和灵敏地检测指示燃料暴露的化学品，（2）使用商业微挤出展示低成本批量制造路径，（3）确定环境和物理变量对线程/阵列的影响。 通过使用柔性电路，该系统可以形成一个轻量级的贴片，并由任何工业工人佩戴，类似于核工人使用的辐射剂量计。该系统可以与全球定位系统接收器连接，这样就可以跟踪暴露和位置;这些信息有助于发现化学过程中的泄漏，或跟踪大范围内的羽流运动。一旦开发出来，该产品可以针对长期工人或公共健康问题的其他市场进行优化。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): With the massive growth of the natural gas, shale-oil and fracking industries recently, many more workers are exposed to harmful levels of petrochemicals than ever before. While it may seem that workers are safe from chemical exposure, since petrochemicals are extracted from deep underground, they are actually in danger, because the chemicals, generally mixtures of hydrocarbon oils and gases, are brought to the surface under pressure, where they can expose workers who maintaining the equipment for separation, transport and storage. In the oil and gas industry wearable methane gas sensors are common, for detecting explosive or flammable level hazards, but no inexpensive technology exists that is light enough to be worn to protect workers from exposures, which are hazardous at concentrations much lower than their LEL. These types of customers require a low-cost alternative to its current expensive and labor intensive methods, namely collecting air samples and sending them to laboratories for analysis or using Dräger tubes, which suffer for poor sensitivity and measurement difficulties. Seacoast Science, Inc. proposes to create a wearable personal exposure monitor for workers in any occupation where fuel contact is possible, such as the oil and gas industry, and airport (or fleet vehicle) workers, who are regularly exposed to fuel vapors and exhaust. The sensors are formed from chemically- responsive threads woven with flexible circuitry. The novelty of this product is that it can be made without a microchip substrat. This dosimeter/exposure monitor will combine low-cost components, to form a lightweight, disposable patch that can be worn outside of a worker's clothing, uniform, or hazmat suit. This research is a first step toward follow-on products, specifically smart-clothing and uniforms for protecting workers in the chemical-industry. Seacoast will take advantage of the electrically conductive nature of graphene and our long history of commercializing polymer-based sensors. The project's overall objectives are to (1) Select materials for the dosimeter array that can be used for selective and sensitive detection of chemicals indicative of fuel exposure, (2) Demonstrate low-cost volume manufacturing path using commercial micro-extrusion, (3) Determine effects of environmental and physical variables on the threads/arrays. By using flexible circuits, the system can be formed into a lightweight patch and worn by any industrial worker, similar to radiation dosimeters used by nuclear workers. The system can be linked to a GPS receiver, so that both the exposure and location can be tracked; information useful to find leaks in chemical processes, or to track plume movements over wide areas. Once developed, the product can be optimized for other markets where long-term worker or public health is a concern.