Acoustic Sensors for Detection of Persistent Organic Contaminants in Water

This SBIR Phase II project is for the development of an innovative, advanced microsensor for the detection of persistent organic pollutants in natural waters. The proposed sensor is a type of acoustic wave sensor fabricated via micromachining of anodic aluminum oxide, followed by coating with piezoelectric zinc oxide and analyte specific polymers. The sensor design (a flexural plate wave device) offers significant advantages for detection of very low levels of chemical species in liquids compared to surface and bulk acoustic wave devices. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of detecting low levels of persistent organic contaminants in water using the proposed acoustic sensor. A subsequent Phase II will optimize the sensor design, and extend the flexural plate wave design from a single sensor to multiple sensors in an array. A custom interface for off the shelf instrumentation will be designed and developed in order to fabricate a low cost, field portable instrument for the detection and quantification of chemical compounds in a marine environment.