Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis for In-Situ Water Analysis

In this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project, Leiden Measurement Technology, LLC (LMT) will develop a portable microfludic analysis instrument for measurement of inorganic ions present in potable water supplies, thermal control system cooling water, and human waste water. A primary goal of the Phase I effort was to identify and demonstrate the most viable development path to advance current state-of-the-art NASA microfluidic analytical instrument technology into a user-friendly, compact, and automated instrument platform for use on the International Space Station (ISS). In this SBIR Phase II effort, LMT will advance current state-of-the-art technologies by developing a Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis (MCE) system with Capacitively-Coupled Contactless Detection (C4D) for the rapid separation, detection and quantification of inorganic ions specified in NASA Spacecraft Water Exposure Guidelines (SWEG). The specific objectives of this Phase I R&D effort are: 1) Development and fabrication of Phase II Microfluidic Chips with Embedded C4D Electrodes for Water Quality Analysis on the International Space Station; 2) Development and fabrication of a Phase II Lock-In-Measurement C4D; 3) Development and fabrication of Phase II MCE Microcontroller and Power Breakout Board; 4) Development of and fabrication of a Phase II MCE High Voltage Board; 5) Verification and validation and end-to-end instrument integration