GRAVOC: GRAphene gas sensor for early detection of diseases through analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds

“石墨烯增强的气体阵列传感器在挥发性有机化合物（VOC）的非侵入性检测中提供了更高水平的稳定性，检测特异性和灵敏度，便携性和成本效益，这是各种疾病的生物标志物。基于石墨烯的阵列传感器不存在早期版本的阵列传感器所具有的问题，诸如低性能、VOC与传感器之间的不希望的化学相互作用、差的装置内可重复性、有限的时间稳定性和差的化学选择性。然而，基于石墨烯的气体阵列传感器的生产商仍然面临的主要问题是开发具有高灵敏度的分析仪器的能力，选择性和低检测限。Altered Carbon（AC）和国家物理实验室（NPL）正在GRAVOC项目下合作，对一种特定的计算机化系统进行工业研究，以解决气体传感器测试装置的问题，该气体传感器测试装置旨在产生多种气体的混合物，具有可控的湿度水平，以模拟阵列传感器将被部署的条件，以及校准和表征气体传感器阵列，并产生详细的数据表。针对传感器的各种使用环境开发这种计算机化测试系统将能够详细分析各种环境中目标气体的存在和浓度，如乙烯，二氧化硫和氮氧化物（NOx）。虽然这个特定的A4I项目侧重于测试上述三种气体，但传感器分析设置的总体目标是测试各种类型的VOC。该项目将实现对目标气体的近实时分析，加快表征过程，并将促进AC传感器更快地推向市场一旦当前的测试设置问题得到解决，仅在英国，AC的石墨烯气体传感器就有可能节省超过43亿英镑的医疗成本，此外，通过减少食物浪费的巨大问题，还可以在食品供应链中节省63亿英镑的成本，如果不浪费食物，可以养活世界37%的人口，并减少甲烷垃圾填埋场的产生。此外，石墨烯传感器及其B2B机器学习算法，随着时间的推移，气体数据的聚集将在未来10年内共同推动70%的物联网价值。该项目最终将提高AC的生产力和收入，通过增加就业机会以及将石墨烯技术转移到英国的特定应用中，使英国受益。"

"Gas array sensors enhanced by graphene offer an increased level of stability, detection specificity and sensitivity, portability and cost-effectiveness in the non-invasive detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are biomarkers for various diseases. Graphene-based array sensors do not suffer from the problems that the earlier versions of array sensors had, such as low performance, unwanted chemical interactions between VOCs and the sensors, poor intra-device repeatability, limited temporal stability and poor chemical selectivity.However, a major problem still faced by the producers of graphene-based gas array sensors is the ability to develop analytical instruments with high sensitivity, selectivity and low detection limit. Altered Carbon (AC) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) are working together under the GRAVOC project to carry out industrial research of a specific computerised system for solving the problem with the gas sensor testing setup aimed at generating mixtures of multiple gases, with controllable humidity levels, in order to mimic the conditions in which the array sensor would be deployed, as well as calibrating and characterising the gas sensor arrays, and producing detailed data sheets. Development of this computerised testing system for the sensor's various usage environments will enable detailed analysis of the presence and concentration of target gases such as Ethylene, Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) in various environments. While this specific A4I project focuses on testing the three aforementioned gases, the overall aim of the sensor's analytical setup is to test various types of VOCs. This project will enable near real-time analysis of target gases, speeding the characterisation process, and will facilitate a much faster release of the AC's sensor to the market (by mid 2019) due to dramatically shortened optimisation iteration cycles.Once the current testing setup problem is resolved, in UK alone AC's graphene gas sensor has the potential to save over £4.3 billion in healthcare costs, as well as £6.3 billion in the food supply chain costs by reducing the huge problem with food waste, which if unwasted could feed 37% of the world and reduce methane landfill production. Moreover, the graphene sensor and its B2B machine learning algorithms with agglomeration of gas data over time will collectively contribute to driving 70% the IoT value over the next 10 years. This project will ultimately increase productivity and revenue at AC, benefitting the UK through increased jobs, as well as the transfer of graphene technology to a specific application in the UK."