SBIR Phase II: Structurally Integrated Organic Light Emitting Device-Based Sensors for Dissolved Oxygen in Water

This SBIR Phase II project aims to develop and commercialize a novel, next-generation photoluminescence (PL)-based, palm-size and miniaturizable dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor. DO sensors are primary monitors of water quality in industrial wastewater treatment. The new sensor is based on a pioneering platform for PL-based biochemical sensors where the excitation source is a pulsed organic light emitting device (OLED) pixel array that is structurally integrated with the sensor component. The individually addressable pixels and the sensor film are fabricated on either side of the glass substrate. The photodetector is behind the OLED array, monitoring the PL passing between the OLED pixels. This uniquely simple structural integration enables multi-sensor fabrication on a single, compact substrate, and should therefore yield field-deployable micro-sensor arrays for simultaneous detection of various analytes. This sensor has applicability in water quality measurements in wastewater treatment, power, pulp and paper, chemical, food, beverage, brewing, and pharmaceuticals plants, fish farms, fresh water, coastlines, and the oceans. Current sensors suffer from key drawbacks that limit their utility and application. Electrochemical sensors require frequent calibration and maintenance, and are typically slow to respond. PL-based sensors are expensive due to intricate design. The proposed sensor will be reliable, require very little maintenance/calibration, and will be inexpensive, with a flexible design and size. The proposed device will be uniquely simple, initially palm-size and eventually micro-size, autonomous, fast, miserly on power consumption, and inexpensive. It will be structurally integrated and will operate in a pulsed PL-lifetime mode, eliminating the need for optical components and frequent calibration.