SBIR Phase I: Toxic Mold Sniffer

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a MEMS sensor array for use in a small, battery operated system to detect chemicals commonly produced by toxic molds. Most mold related health problems result from exposure to Stachybotrys, a fungus, which causes the "sick building syndrome." The Stachybotrys mycotoxin is a trichothecene, a stable, multicyclic epoxide, which readily crosses cell membranes, attacking ribosomes and inhibiting protein synthesis. This sensor will utilize an array of surface micromachined capacitors, coated with chemoselective polymeric materials that will be optimized for tricothecenes and similar analogs containing epoxides and multicyclic organics. The commercial application of this project will be to detect toxic molds that cause the sick building syndrome. Toxic mold is a $1 billion problem in this country alone. Growing awareness and concern about the health impact from fungal toxins has made the detection and isolation of suspect molds a major environmental concern. When combined with inexpensive wireless communications technology, these sensors will be ideal for monitoring a variety of chemical and physical targets in a distributed system where a premium is placed on early detection. Minor modifications to the detector would allow for development of products for other applications, such as monitoring of air pollution around factories, and of oil degradation in power transformers and fuel cells.