I-Corps: Commercialization of new anion-sensing materials

创新团的这项提案开始将基础科学成果从美国国家科学基金会资助的研究转化为下一代环境可持续农业的商业应用。该技术的目标是开发用于大规模工业化农业的田间应用的硝酸盐传感器，以监测和控制化肥利用和化肥使用产生的硝酸盐污染物。总体目标是同时最大限度地提高农业生产率，优化化肥使用，并最大限度地减少化肥使用对环境的影响。拟议的i-Corps资金将提供为期6个月的努力，以证明专有化合物可以合并到固体基质(例如聚合物薄膜)中，以提供在存在其他常见干扰阴离子和天然有机物的情况下对硝酸盐敏感的光学读数。保护环境和开发不会伤害意外目标的农产品最近被列为化学科学的重大挑战。这项转化研究将使一个由企业家和科学家组成的团队能够评估一种潜在的产品，该产品可以在每年数十亿美元的农业业务中降低成本、能源使用和环境破坏。

This Innovation Corps proposal begins to translate basic science results from NSF-funded research into commercial applications in next generation, environmentally sustainable agriculture. The technology goal is the development of nitrate sensors for field applications in large-scale industrial agriculture, to monitor and control fertilizer utilization and nitrate pollutant generation from fertilizer usage. The overall goal is to simultaneously maximize agricultural productivity, optimize fertilizer usage and minimize environmental impacts resulting from fertilizer use. The proposed I-Corps funding will provide a 6-month effort to demonstrate proof-of-concept that proprietary compounds can be incorporated into a solid matrix (e.g., polymer thin films) to provide an optical readout that is sensitive for nitrate in the presence of other common interfering anions and natural organic matter.Preserving the environment and developing agricultural products that do not harm unintended targets were recently cited as grand challenges for the chemical sciences. This translational research will enable a team of entrepreneurs and scientists to evaluate a potential product that could reduce cost, energy usage and environmental damage in the multi-billion dollar per year agriculture business.