SBIR Phase I: Multi-Step Sequential Processing of Gas Ions for Identifying Volatile Organic Compounds in Recirculated Air of Energy Efficient Buildings

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改善人类健康、节约能源和改善环境。全球城市化程度的提高以及对高质量、舒适的环境空气环境的需求，预计将推动现有的供暖、通风和空调（HVAC）系统市场的发展，预计到2026年，国内市场将达到120亿美元，全球市场将达到1900亿美元。呼吸道疾病和人类疾病是由于室内空气中这些成分的含量不受控制。该项目将告知用户节能暖通空调系统循环室内空气中挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）的浓度和特性。这将为疾病的临床分析、工业过程监控、食品纯度和真实性筛选以及商业航空安全提供信息。SBIR一期项目将利用环境压力下空气中强电场中离子碎裂的化学发现，以及这些碎片与分子特性的关联。额外的优点来自于离子光谱识别的算法，碎片对电场强度的依赖，以及在离子选择的初始步骤和碎片离子分析的最后阶段处理离子的过程。这将是在环境压力下对强电场使气体离子碎裂的新探索。研究目标包括建立对挥发性有机化合物在环境压力下作为气体离子的离子破碎机制的广泛理解，以及利用迁移率分析的光谱分布建立自主分子识别。该研究分为三个阶段，包括开发高效、先进的离子破碎控制，发现控制离子破碎的化学规则，以及将人工智能与本项目开发的化学仪器相结合。本项目预期的关键技术成果是用于绿色建筑绿色采暖、通风、空调系统室内循环空气质量自主监测的化学分析仪。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to improve human health, energy savings, and improved environment. Increased urbanization worldwide and demand for high quality, comfortable ambient air environments is expected to drive an existing market for improved heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems estimated at $12 billion nationally and $190 billion worldwide by 2026. Respiratory disease and human illness are attributed to unregulated amounts of these constituents in indoor air. This project will inform users about the concentrations and identities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in recirculated indoor air from energy-efficient HVAC systems. This will inform clinical analyses of disease, industrial process monitoring, screening of food purity and authenticity, and commercial aviation security. This SBIR Phase I project will leverage discoveries in the chemistry of ion fragmentation in strong electric fields in air at ambient pressure and the association of these fragments with molecular identity. Additional merit is derived from algorithms for identification of ion spectra, dependences of fragmentation on electric field strength, and processes to handle ions both in the initial step of ion selection and the final stage of fragment ion analysis. This will be a novel exploration of strong electric field fragmentation of gas ions at ambient pressure. Research objectives include tasks to establish broad understanding of mechanisms of ion fragmentation of volatile organic compounds as gas ions at ambient pressure and establishing autonomous molecular identification using spectral profiles from mobility analysis. The research is organized into three phases including the development of efficient, advanced control of ion fragmentation, the discovery of chemical rules governing ion fragmentation, and the integration of artificial intelligence with chemical instrumentation developed in this project. The key technical result anticipated in this project is a chemical analyzer for autonomous monitoring of the quality of recirculated indoor air in green heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in green buildings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.