Lab-on-a-chip sensor for monitoring of oceanographic chemical parameters

In this Phase II SBIR effort, HJ Science & Technology will develop and build an integrated and fully automated “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) sensor capable of autonomous and in-situ high sensitivity and precision measurement of oceanographic chemical parameters. Our innovation stems from our patent pending valve-less fluidic switching technology that we have developed for a myriad of microfluidic automation applications. The LOC sensor is compact and inexpensive with a full automation capability, specifically designed to perform autonomous measurements with sensitivity and precision that are only currently achievable with laboratory-based instruments. The overall Phase II objective is the development, construction, and validation of a field deployable LOC sensor Phase II prototype. This entails miniaturizing the Phase I benchtop LOC sensor to a compact and rugged prototype and optimizing the measurement performance to meet the precision requirement of measuring chloride, bromide, sodium, calcium, sulfate, sulfide, and conductivity. The ultimate goal is to develop the ruggedized LOC sensor that can be integrated into a shipboard corrosion control system. We will demonstrate this technical capability through simultaneous sensing of all the key oceanographic chemical parameters in a natural seawater environment.