Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials: Diacetylene-Siloxanes as Radiation Resistant Electrical Insulator for Plasma Fusion Confinement Systems

65562 Heavy metal contamination in ground and surface water is a widespread problem within the DOE complex, and advanced methods and instrumentation will be required to provide reliable, long-term monitoring for evaluation and remediation. This project will develop a low-cost, portable monitor system for heavy metals (including lead, mercury, zinc, arsenic, and cambium), which achieves superior stability and reproducibility compared to anodic stripping voltammetry. The active element of the device will comprise a microfabricated chip that minimizes size and cost while providing extreme sensitivity. Phase I will demonstrate the proposed concept by designing and fabricating the device and evaluating detector performance. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Electrochemical detection of heavy metals should provide a potential low-cost, portable solution to on-site testing for industrial and personal environmental evaluations. The technology should also find application in drinking water and waste water analysis, process effluent analysis, and environmental remediation.