Field Rugged, Portable H2O2 Monitor

This Phase II SBIR project will develop a field-portable instrument for monitoring and controlling hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration during building decontamination after accidental or purposeful exposure to hazardous biological materials. This product will enable accurate real-time H2O2 measurements over the concentration range of 1-10,000 ppmV. The product is an adaptation of a portable gas-sensing platform based on Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) technology. The sensor will offer a combination of sensitivity, specificity, fast response, dynamic range, linearity, ease of operation and calibration, ruggedness, and portability not available in alternative H2O2 detectors. Compared to other spectroscopic gas analyzers, TDLAS offers the benefit of probing individual spectral lines, rather than spectral bands. This capability enables distinguishing H2O2 from water, thus overcoming a cross sensitivity that has limited the accuracy of other H2O2 analyzers. In Phase I, Physical Sciences, Inc. (PSI) acquired the data needed to select the best H2O2 spectral features for these measurements, thereby establishing the feasibility of developing the novel H2O2 sensor. In Phase II, PSI, working with industrial collaborators, will specify the requirements of a field-worthy sensor, build a prototype, calibrate it, and test it in realistic deployment scenarios. In the Phase II Verification Option, PSI, working with our collaborators and a Verification Testing Organization, will verify that the sensor meets its performance specifications. In the Phase II Commercialization Option, PSI will build and calibrate a TDLAS system that measure both H2O2 and H2O2 vapors. The initial application for the H2O2 sensor will be for building decontamination applications. Customers for this product include government agencies, e.g. EPA, and its contractors. Commercial uses of the product include pharmaceutical manufacturing and other sterilization applications. For example, barrier isolator systems are sterilized periodically by flushing with H2O2 vapor. Full automation of these systems is an industry goal, bur requires H2O2 analyzers with low-ppm sensitivity to optimize control of the sterilization process, reduce processing time, and provide a higher quality product.