In situ Lab on a chip chemical sensor technology

南安普顿国家海洋学中心和南安普顿大学电子与计算机科学学院的研究人员合作生产了一种新型芯片实验室化学传感器。这些小型化设备使用的微加工技术类似于用半导体材料制造集成电路的技术。这使得设计非常紧凑。该装置包含流体通道，使海水与化学试剂混合，产生颜色变化（或荧光），其强度与海水的化学含量成正比。可以改变添加的试剂来测量一些在环境研究中很重要的化学物质。这些包括营养物质（如磷酸盐）和污染物。虽然基于这种技术的测量系统确实存在，但目前可用的技术规模大、价格昂贵且难以操作。小型化使传感器更便宜，更坚固，更容易使用，适合大规模生产。我们目前的原型是一个1.5升的饮料瓶大小，但下一代将是一个软饮料罐大小。拟议的活动将评估这项技术是否具有商业潜力（即工业能否从中赚钱），并将确定计划的第一步，以最大限度地提高这一想法产生的收入。这将包括对传感器技术市场的评估；审查专利和保护创意的机会；评估可能的合作伙伴并开始与他们接触。许多工业（如农业、水产养殖、水处理工业、近海工业）和科学家（如海洋学、淡水系统研究和植物研究）都需要化学传感。因此，我们希望这个想法能够具有巨大的市场潜力，并有助于提高英国工业的竞争力。

Researchers at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, and at the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton have collaborated to produce novel Lab-on-a-chip chemical sensors. These miniaturised devices use microfabrication techniques similar to those used to manufacture integrated circuits out of semiconductor materials. This enables very compact design. The devices contain fluid channels that enable seawater to be mixed with chemical reagents that produce a colour change (or fluorescence) with intensity proportional to the chemical content of the seawater. It is possible to change the reagent added to measure a number of chemicals that are important in the study of the environment. These include nutrients (such as phosphate) and pollutants. Whilst measurement systems based on this technique do exist, currently available technology is large, expensive, and difficult to operate. Miniaturisation enables cheaper more robust sensors that are easier to use and suitable for mass production. Our current prototype is the size of a 1.5l drinks bottle, but the next generation will be the size of a soft drinks can. The proposed activity will evaluate if this technology has commercial potential (i.e. can industry make money out of this) and will identify the first steps of a plan to maximise the income generated by this idea. This will include an evaluation of the market for the sensor technology; a review of patents and opportunities for protection of the idea; and evaluating possible partners and initiating contacts with them. Chemical sensing is required by a number of industries (e.g. agriculture, aquaculture , water treatment industries, offshore industries) and by scientists (e.g. in oceanography, in the study of fresh water systems, and in plant research). We are therefore, hopeful that this idea could have significant market potential and could contribute to the competitiveness of UK industry.