IDBR: TYPE B: High temperature MEMS flow controller for MEMS enabled chopper-modulated gas chromatography - electroantennography (MEMS- GC-EAG) and other GC applications

一个奖项是由宾夕法尼亚州立大学开发一个微型高温流动控制装置的气相色谱（GC）的应用，将有利于农业和林业，以更好地针对入侵物种和pests.Non技术摘要：该设备将启用一种名为斩波调制电触角图（EAG），它使用GC分离挥发性气味，和昆虫的触角作为检测器，以确定特定的化合物是重要的，并能够被昆虫感觉到的技术。经过数百万年的进化，昆虫的触角能够比人工化学传感器更灵敏、更具体地检测某些化学物质。斩波调制GC-EAG方法将使用所提出的流量控制装置来调节GC中的气体流量并提高EAG的信噪比，从而使行为上重要的挥发性化学物质的检测灵敏度提高几个数量级。 在其他GC应用中使用所提出的设备可能有助于一般化学传感社区，并通过对环境监测，食品安全，疾病诊断等进行更灵敏的分析而使社会受益。教育计划包括学生培训和课程开发。该仪器还将被集成到各种推广活动中，包括每年PSU的“昆虫博览会”，每年的出席人数通常超过8，000人。技术摘要：研究的总体目标是开发一种高温微机电系统（MEMS）流量控制器（HT-MEMS流量控制器），其目的是在传统的气相色谱（GC）炉内操作，以实现斩波调制的电子天线图（EAG）#8722; MEMS-GC-EAG以及其他GC应用。该项目旨在开发HT-MEMS流量控制器并实现其商业化，以（1）实现GC-EAG的斩波稳定，这有望将当前GC-EAG系统的灵敏度提高几个数量级;（2）探索该仪器在更广泛的化学传感领域的应用，包括EAG和二维GC（2D-GC）之外的其他GC检测器。除了由此产生的出版物和在讲习班和会议上的介绍外，还将通过与气相色谱设备制造商和经销商的伙伴关系传播这项技术。

An award is made to the Pennsylvania State University to develop a microfabricated high-temperature flow control device for gas chromatography (GC) applications that will benefit agriculture and forestry to better target invasive species and pests.Non Technical Abstract:The device will enable a technique named chopper-modulated electroantennograph (EAG), which uses GC to separate volatile odorants, and insect antennae as detectors to identify specific compounds that are of importance to, and able to be sensed by the insect. As a result of millions of years of evolution, insect antennae are capable of detecting certain chemicals more sensitively and specifically than artificial chemical sensors. The chopper-modulated GC-EAG method will use the proposed flow control device to regulate gas flow in GC and improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the EAG, with a resulting several orders of magnitude improvement in detection sensitivity for behaviorally important volatile chemicals. The use of the proposed device in other GC applications can potentially contribute to the general chemical sensing community and benefit the society with more sensitive analysis for environmental monitoring, food safety, disease diagnostics and etc. The education plan includes student training and curriculum development. The instrument will also be integrated into various outreach activities including the annual PSU "Great Insect Fair", at which attendance routinely surpasses 8,000 people annually.Technical Abstract:The overall goal of the research is to develop a high temperature microelectromechanical system (MEMS) flow controller (HT-MEMS flow controller) whose purpose is to operate inside a conventional gas chromatography (GC) oven to enable chopper-modulated electroantennograph (EAG) − MEMS- GC-EAG as well as other GC applications. This project aims to develop and lead to commercialization of the HT-MEMS flow controller to (1) implement chopper stabilization for GC-EAG, which holds the promise of improving the sensitivity of the current GC-EAG system by orders of magnitude; (2) explore applications of the instrument in broader chemical sensing areas, including other GC detectors beyond EAG and two dimensional GC (2D-GC). Apart from resulting publications and presentations at workshops and meetings, the technology will be disseminated through a partnership with GC equipment manufacturers and distributors.