You are here

Color-Based PolyOxoMetalate Cellulosic Detector Strips for Chemical Warfare Agents

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Army
Contract: DAAD1903C0106
Agency Tracking Number: A033-0059
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2003
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
57 MARYANNE DRIVE
Monroe, CT 06468
United States
DUNS: 180516577
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 YOGESH MEHROTRA
 VICE PRESIDENT
 (203) 874-3100
 ymehrotra@AboutMTC.com
Business Contact
 PATRICE GREEN
Title: PRESIDENT
Phone: (203) 261-5200
Email: pgreen@AboutMTC.com
Research Institution
 EMORY UNIV.
 JANE O'CONNOR
 
Oxford Street
Atlanta, GA 30322
United States

 (404) 727-1035
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

Polyoxometalate (POM) and/or coinage-metal complexes that exhibit dramatic color changes on reaction with chemical warfare agents (CWAs) will be incorporated into cellulose matrices (paper and cotton) by robust electrostatic and covalent bonds to preparelightweight, easy-to-use, color-indicating CWA-detecting tear strips. These strips are expected to show very high sensitivity to CWAs, and thus be free of false negatives, unlike the existing M8 and M9 papers in current use for CWA detection.Simultaneously, the proposed strips are expected to be far less sensitive to operational theater interferents including water and nonpolar fluids (gasoline, jet fuel and other hydrocarbons, ethylene glycol, sunscreen, oils, etc.) and thus not besusceptible to false positives like the M8 or M9 papers. Specific reaction chemistries and experimental details are presented for detection of HD, VX, GB, GD and cyanide. The reduction potentials and reduction-induced color changes in the detector (reporter) POM and coinage-metal complexes will be investigated as a function of the elemental compositions, ligands, structures and counterions of the reporter complexes. The rates of color production (CWA simulant oxidation - reporter complexreduction) will also be established and optimized as a function of the same compositional and structural parameters. Color-change response times of the order of 5-15 seconds or less are anticipated. The effective processes for immobilization of thereporter molecules on the cellulosics identified in preliminary work will be studied as a function of several parameters and optimized. Government applications include military use; federal agencies responsible for domestic preparedness - HomelandSecurity, FEMA, FAA, DoE and Dept of Agriculture, and Health and Human Services; and state and local government agencies. Commercial applications include hospitals and relief agencies such as Red Cross. An efficient kit design would enable the unit to beemployed by any emergency first responder including fire, Haz-Mat, and police units.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government