Flexible, Graphene-based Detector Arrays for Petrochemical Exposure Monitoring

 描述(申请人提供)：随着最近天然气、页岩油和水力压裂行业的大规模增长，比以往任何时候都更多的工人暴露在有害的石化产品中。虽然看起来工人不会接触到化学品，但由于石化产品是从地下深处提炼出来的，他们实际上处于危险之中，因为这些化学品通常是碳氢化合物油和气体的混合物，在压力下被带到地面，在那里它们可能会使维护分离、运输和储存设备的工人暴露在危险之中。在石油和天然气行业，可穿戴式甲烷气体传感器很常见，用于检测爆炸性或易燃水平的危险，但还没有廉价的技术足够轻，可以佩戴来保护工人免受暴露，浓度远低于他们的LEL时是危险的。这些类型的客户需要一种低成本的替代方法，以取代其目前昂贵和劳动密集型的方法，即收集空气样本并将其送到实验室进行分析，或使用DRäger管，后者因灵敏度低和测量困难而受到影响。海岸科学公司提议为任何可能接触燃料的职业的工人，如石油和天然气行业，以及经常接触燃料的机场(或车队车辆)工人，创建一种可穿戴的个人暴露监测器 蒸汽和废气。传感器由化学响应线和柔性电路编织而成。这种产品的新奇之处在于，它可以在没有微芯片衬底的情况下制造。这种剂量计/暴露监测器将结合低成本组件，形成一种轻便的一次性贴片，可以穿在工人的衣服、制服或防护服外面。这项研究是迈向后续产品的第一步，特别是用于保护化学工业工人的智能服装和制服。海岸公司将利用石墨烯的导电特性和我们将基于聚合物的传感器商业化的悠久历史。该项目的总体目标是(1)为剂量计阵列选择可用于选择性和灵敏地检测指示燃料暴露的化学品的材料，(2)展示使用商业微挤压的低成本批量制造路径，(3)确定环境和物理变量对螺纹/阵列的影响。通过使用灵活的电路，该系统可以形成一个轻巧的贴片，供任何产业工人佩戴，类似于核工人使用的辐射剂量计。该系统可以连接到GPS接收器，这样就可以跟踪暴露和位置；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的信息。一旦开发出来，该产品就可以针对其他长期工作人员或公共健康令人担忧的市场进行优化。

 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.