SBIR Phase I: Catalytic Traps for Capture of Gas-Phase Toxic Linear Molecules

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will explore the use of a material comprising a fibrous substrate and an inorganic adsorbent/catalytic coating for removal of toxic small linear molecules from smoke. Phase I research will focus on identification of an efficient adsorbent/catalyst coating. The proposed strategy is to make one or more target volatile toxic species react inside the narrow pores of the active phase, to form larger molecular weight species that are unable to leave the internal pore structure of the active component. The toxic, small-molecule targets are known carcinogenic agents. A large sector of the population in general is expected to benefit from deployment of the proposed technology. There is also the possibility of adapting the proposed technology to the design of catalytic filtration media for capture of certain highly toxic volatiles in a number of industries.