SBIR Phase II: A Real Time, High Sensitivity Atmospheric BTEX and 1,3-butadiene Vapor Monitor

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将解决分析仪的需求，以检测环境空气中的有毒物质苯，甲苯，二甲苯，（BTEX）和1，3-丁二烯。这些有毒的挥发性有机化合物（VOC）在化石燃料的不完全燃烧、一系列化学品的制造以及石化精炼过程中释放。Entanglement Technologies公司建议完成基于光腔衰荡光谱（CRDS）和扩散飞行时间（DiTOF）相结合的BTEX和丁二烯蒸气分析仪的开发。CRDS提供极其灵敏的检测，而扩散提供特异性。该项目的研究目标是展示该分析仪技术的全部功能。该项目将包括建立CRDS/DiTOF分析仪原型，以进行该技术的实验室和现场试验。在不到10分钟的测量时间内，预计苯的灵敏度为万亿分之十，超过了现有技术。该项目的成果将是一个可制造的分析仪的设计。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是将最先进的商业CRDS分析仪对小分子（例如二氧化碳或氨）的灵敏度扩展到检测更复杂的分子。DiTOF提供了CRDS单独不具备的区分较大分子（苯和其他芳族化合物，醛和酮）的能力。在这个项目中开发的CRDS/DiTOF分析仪设计将是纠缠技术？商业平台设计，易于适应许多不同的痕量气体，包括大气和建筑物内部污染物，以及痕量气体的组合。这种分析仪系列将影响污染研究，控制和缓解，就像现有的商业二氧化碳，甲烷和水CRDS分析仪目前影响温室气体和气候变化的研究一样。从长远来看，CRDS/DiTOF技术将应用于生物医学科学，工业过程监测，环境修复和爆炸物检测。例如，基于扩散的选择性将被证明对于人类呼吸中的许多烃气体组分的分离和量化至关重要，这对于疾病的非侵入性诊断是有用的。类似地，CRDS/DiTOF可以实现对血液等液体的灵敏化学分析。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will address the need for analyzers to detect the toxic species benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, (BTEX) and 1,3-butadiene in ambient air. These toxic volatile organic compounds (VOC) are released during incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, the manufacture of a range of chemicals, and the process of petrochemical refining. Entanglement Technologies proposes to complete development of a BTEX and butadiene vapor analyzer based on the combination of cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) and diffusion time-of-flight (DiTOF). CRDS provides extremely sensitive detection while diffusion provides specificity. The research objective of this project is to demonstrate the full capabilities of this analyzer technology. The project will comprise building a prototype CRDS/DiTOF analyzer to perform laboratory and field trials of the technology. The anticipated benzene sensitivity is 10 parts per trillion by volume in a measurement of less than 10 minutes, surpassing existing technologies. The outcome of the project will be a design for a manufacturable analyzer. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to extend the sensitivity of state-of-the-art commercial CRDS analyzers have for small molecules (e.g. carbon dioxide or ammonia) to the detection of more complex molecules. DiTOF provides the ability to distinguish among larger molecules (benzene and other aromatics, aldehydes and ketones) that CRDS alone does not possess. The CRDS/DiTOF analyzer design developed in this project will be Entanglement Technologies? commercial platform design, easily adapted to many different trace gases, including atmospheric and building-interior pollutants, and combinations of trace gases. Such a family of analyzers will impact pollution research, control, and mitigation as much as existing commercial carbon dioxide, methane, and water CRDS analyzers are currently impacting the study of greenhouse gases and climate change. In the long term, CRDS/DiTOF technology will be applied to biomedical science, industrial process monitoring, environmental remediation and explosives detection. For example, the diffusion-based selectivity will prove critical to the separation and quantification of the many hydrocarbon gas components in human breath useful for non-invasive diagnosis of disease. Similarly, CRDS/DiTOF can enable sensitive chemical analysis of liquids such as blood.