STTR Phase I: Planar Array Infrared (PA-IR): A Compact Rugged Double Beam Infrared Spectrometer for Laboratory and Field Analysis

这一小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段研究项目将展示红外平面阵列技术在研究工业污染物和生物杂质等水污染物方面的应用。建议设计和建造一种基于焦平面阵列检测的紧凑型、高灵敏度、双光束红外仪器，该仪器达到或超过商业设备的性能标准，并能够在环境中运行，提供有机和生物污染物稀释浓度的测量。红外光谱具有分子特异性，既可以定性识别污染物，也可以定量测量浓度。然而，现有的基于傅里叶变换技术的红外仪器在环境条件下快速进行这些测量的能力有限。这项研究将应用这项创新技术，以实现从制造现场(如化工公司现场)进行实时污水检测，从而通过能够主动识别和测量污染物的存在来实现切实的节省。这种可重新配置且可能是便携的仪器将帮助在分析实验室工作并需要高速测量的科学家(学术界、工业界和政府)和/或那些参与环境监测的科学家(在环境监测中，传感速度非常重要)。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project will demonstrate the utility of infrared planar array technology to study water pollutants such as industrial contaminants and biological impurities. It is proposed to design and build a compact, high-sensitivity, double beam infrared instrument based on focal plane array detection, which meets or exceeds performance standards of commercially available devices and is able to operate in ambient environments to provide measurements of dilute concentrations of organic and biological contaminants. Infrared spectroscopy has the molecular specificity to provide both qualitative identification of contaminants and quantitative measurement of concentrations. However, existing IR instruments based on Fourier transform techniques are limited in their ability to make these measurements rapidly under ambient conditions. The research will apply this innovative technology to enable real time effluent detection from a manufacturing site such as that found at chemical company sites to realize tangible savings from being able to pro-actively identify and measure the presence of pollutants. This reconfigurable and potentially portable instrument will assist scientists (academic, industrial and government) who work in analytical labs and require high speed measurements and/or those involved in environmental monitoring where sensing speed is important.