Vaporsens™ has announced the introduction of its new vSENS™, a portable electronic nose that detects trace amounts of chemical vapors down to the parts per trillion range.
“We are developing a novel, portable vapor-analysis devices capable of detecting trace amounts of chemicals with greater sensitivity, speed, and selectivity than has been previously possible in such a small package,” says Ben Rollins, CEO of Vaporsens.
There are numerous applications for this type of device. One example of a potential customer is found in the billion dollar wine cork manufacturer industry. The manufacturer currently spends over 24 hours/batch of corks using large laboratory equipment to inspect corks for unwanted chemical taint that could ruin the product. The Vaporsens vSENS detector can perform the same function in less than one minute.
Other applications include illicit drug detection, threat detection of explosives and toxic gases, ammonia leak detection, monitoring food products during storage for spoilage, and quality control in manufacturing processes.
This advanced capability is due to the active detection element, an interdigitated electrode coated with electrically-conductive nanofibers.
The coated nanofibers form a porous structure that captures targeted molecules (e.g., explosives) from the air through molecular diffusion and surface adsorption. Then the nanofibers either withdraw electrons from the target molecule or donate electrons to it, causing an increase or decrease in observed current. Because they are conductive, the nanofibers form an electrical circuit with the electrodes, and changes in the current can be monitored to detect target molecules.
The nanofibers are prepared via self-assembly of perylene tetracarboxylic diimide molecules with side groups that are customized to have a strong affinity for the different compounds and compounds classes of interest. The synthesis of these nanofibers relies on pioneering work conducted by Professor Ling Zang at the University of Utah who is the inventor of the technology.
Perylene was chosen as the building block for the fibers because they have several properties that are ideal for sensors. Self-assembled fibers of these molecules have many adsorption sites, which allows for high sensitivity. In addition, the side groups of perylene can be modified to create fibers that are sensitive to different molecules without changing the electronic properties of the central conjugation part of the compound.
This is a unique quality, as the electronic properties of a molecule often change with a change in side groups. Vaporsens has developed more than 30 different highly sensitive fibers, each uniquely optimized for detecting a specific class or type of chemical.
Vaporsens is a spin-off company from the University of Utah and has received funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the National Science Foundation and USTAR (Utah Science Technology and Research) Program. Vaporsens’s mission is to develop nanofiber-based sensors for portable, inexpensive screening and detection devices. The company was co-founded by Prof. Ling Zang, a professor in the Material Science and Engineering Department, University of Utah, and Ben Rollins, current CEO.
Vaporsens™ and vSENS™ are trademarks of Vaporsens, Inc.
