OMEGA OPTICS, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 21a

Description

Statement of the Problem or Situation that is Being Addressed: Metals released into the environment from industrial processes, roadways and automobiles, belong to a class of persistent environmental toxins that often remain in contaminated locations for a long time. Water containing trace amounts of radioactive materials is also normally released from U.S. nuclear power plants under controlled, monitored conditions; recently reports have emerged on unintended, abnormal releases of radioactive liquids. Heavy metal ions and radionuclides that are widely present in the environment, lead to health problems in human beings including but not limited to damages to brain, kidney, and neural system, especially children. Statement of how this Problem or Situation is Being Addressed: Omega Optics Inc., University of Texas, Austin, TX and Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, proposes a low Cost of Ownership (COO) device comprising a label-free microarray based on multiple photonic crystal (PC) microcavity devices coupled to a photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) for the detection of multiple heavy metal ions and radionuclides simultaneously in water. The research enables a portable system that monitors heavy metal concentration, and provides high detection sensitivity, selectivity and multiplexing capability. The device can be connected to any electronic data processing equipment, or smartphone for remote monitoring and geospatial networking. What is to be done in Phase 1: In Phase 1, we will fabricate high sensitivity silicon chip integrated photonic crystal microcavity coated with antibodies and/or metal-chelate-protein conjugates individually along the photonic crystal waveguide and demonstrate highly sensitive label free detection of uranium ions in spiked artificial and real groundwater samples available with the team. Once the most sensitive sensing format has been determined combining silicon nanophotonics with metal-ion and radionuclide detection biochemistry, we will move rapidly to field testing of the prototype at the DOE Rifle Site. We will plan the multiplexed experiments for identifying several targets of interest simultaneously with less than 1ppb sensitivity in Phase 2, using integrated optics based multiplexing on chip already demonstrated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The sensors developed in this project can be used by government inspectors, environmental monitors, household users as well as clinicians and first-responders to make informed decision about remediation and monitoring strategy and thus improve human health and quality of life. Monitoring of heavy metal toxins is important for military operations as well, to ensure safety of drinking water resources of soldiers in military bases as well as on the battlefront. The portable platform will be easily extended to medical diagnostics for field portable screening applications of cancers, allergies and infectious diseases, food pathogen detection and bio-defense. Keywords: Photonic crystal, microarray, lab-on-chip diagnostics, heavy metal and radionuclide detection, open sensor, high throughput. Summary for Members of Congress: Heavy metal ions and radionuclides released into the environment from industrial processes lead to various health hazards. We propose a low cost device for high throughput detection of above contaminants simultaneously, with additional applications in field portable screening for cancers, allergies and infectious diseases, food pathogen detection and bio-defense.