SBIR-STTR Award

Continuous real-time monitoring is broadly applicable to marine environmental research, environmental monitoring, and assurance of drinking water quality. Currently, the common procedure is to collect samples in the field and return them to the laboratory for analysis, which cannot possibly capture chemical data in real-time. Photolithographically processed silicon is suitable for manufacturing integrated arrays that contain a large number of electrochemical sensors. These arrays, which include sensors for both physical and chemical measurements, can be produced at low cost and treated as disposables. The objective of this project is to utilize Sensicore’s current silicon-based electrochemical sensor array platform to generate 4 sensor arrays that can continuously monitor chloride (Cl ), ammonium-nitrogen (NH ) and - + 2 oxygen (O ) in fresh and saltwater. Ion selective electrodes (ISEs) will be evaluated for the determination of chloride and ammonium-nitrogen whereas a voltammetric sensor will be evaluated for the determination of oxygen. Summary of

Anticipated Results:
The results of this research project will be the demonstration of an integrated silicon based sensor array that is capable of quantifying chloride (Cl-), ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+), and oxygen (O2) in fresh and saltwater. The arrays will also be able to measure other important water parameters: pH, temperature and conductivity.

Potential Commercial Applications:
The proposed technology has broad application in environmental monitoring, marine research, and the protection of drinking water, as well as in various biomedical and pharmaceutical markets. These applications include portable hand-held devices for in field testing of water, continuous surveillance of drinking water distribution systems, point-of-care medical diagnostics and quality assurance for potable water processing