SBIR-STTR Award

A powerful team of researchers from Northwestern University and MKS Technology has been assembled to develop a portable ultratrace level sensitive sensor for chemical warfare agents. The SERS technology will be developed and evaluated at Northwestern University while the materials and portable instrumentation will be developed and manufactured at MKS Technology. Nanoparticles tuned to a specific excitation will be our source of the LSPR effect and a novel layer-by-layer method will be used to create a gas permeable fiber material with very high sensitivity for chemical warfare agents. Our team realizes that a nanoparticle surface alone is not sufficient to produce strong enhancements for nerve agents. We will use a patented technology to demonstrate selective coupling of acetylcholine esterase inhibitors to our nanomaterials. Preliminary results for this method will be presented along with trace detection of blister agents. It is also clear that a potent SERS material for chemical warfare agent detection is not the only piece of the puzzle required to meet the objectives expressed by the Army; a portable Raman reader is also required. We will demonstrate a palm-sized low power consumption reader that uniquely identifies the SERS signatures produced by our enhanced nanoparticle materials.

Keywords:
Sers, Raman, Plasmon, Chemical, Warfare, Long-Range, Nerve Agent

This project will develop an integrated nanoplasmonic sensor Raman device to detect chemical warfare agents. The Raman device will be designed and produced by MKS Technology and will be cell-phone sized for portability. The device will: operate from 2-AA batteries; have a touch screen user-interface; will have Bluetooth connectivity, and will be ruggedized to MIL-STD-810G. The reader will have a raster scan system to permit high laser power excitation with the (NPMs) nanoplasmonic materials. The NPMs will be produced by iFyber and will have oxime coatings to react with the CW agent and enhance the sensitivity through resonance enhancement in addition to the plasmonic enhancement. The NPMs will be composed of a porous substrate with grafted nanoparticles that produce > 107 enhancements. The porosity will permit forced air sampling to increase sensitivity. We will also begin work with Kodak to scale up the NPM production. The device and substrates will be evaluated and optimized at Northwestern University. Northwestern will use its advanced LSPR (localized-surface-plasmon-resonance) spectrometer to measure the efficacy of the iFyber materials and they will use their Raman systems to measure accurate enhancement factors. Northwestern will examine alternate materials as a risk reduction from the iFyber sole source.

Keywords:
Raman, Plasmonic, Sers, Chemical Warfare, Nerve Agent, Spectrometer, Membrane, Blister Agent