Vaporsens, Inc. — Environmental Protection Agency SBIR Phase I: 16-NCER-1A

Description

Need: Formaldehyde comes from a number of indoor sources and is carcinogenic. Vaporsens is offering a sensor capable of detecting formaldehyde at low concentrations (50 ppb) at an affordable price point (~$100)._x000D_ _x000D_ Technical Feasibility: Vaporsens organic nanofiber have been developed for a number of applications, including detecting explosives, narcotics, toxic industrial chemicals, and chemical warfare agents. Sensors demonstrated high sensitivity (down to low parts per trillion) and minimal interference from the environment._x000D_ _x000D_ Applications: formaldehyde monitoring in homes and manufacturing facilities, formaldehyde measurements for quantifying air pollution_x000D_ _x000D_ Users: consumers, manufacturers, regulators, government, environmental researchers_x000D_ _x000D_ Evidence of Willing Buyers: Vaporsens has conducted over 200 interviews with potential customers. Many require the ability to detect formaldehyde at low concentrations._x000D_ _x000D_ Potential Market Size: $4B is the estimated current market for indoor air quality monitoring in the U.S._x000D_ _x000D_ Performance Compared to Other Technologies: Certain technologies (e.g., electrochemical cells) meet performance requirements, but not at the required price point. Vaporsens will deliver comparable performance at a lower cost._x000D_ _x000D_ Environmental Benefits: Fromaldehyde monitoring indoors could alert building occupants to take action when concentration exceeds a certain threshold to create a cleaner indoor environment. Increased consumer awareness might lead industry to decrease use of formaldehyde, reducing overall emissions.