Electrospun Fiber Pre-Concentrator for CBRNE Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current chemical sensors face challenges in detecting chemical and biological agents at low concentrations due to limited sensitivity and high rates of false positives, particularly when using electrospun fibers as detection mechanisms, which often rely on external heating and complex contact requirements, leading to inefficient detection and release of analytes.
Innovation Solution
The development of 3-D structures composed of electrospun nano-fibers with conducting agents and chemo-selective or bio-specific moieties that can bind, concentrate, and release compounds of interest using weak non-covalent mechanisms, allowing for uniform heating and selective release of bound analytes, thereby enhancing detection sensitivity and specificity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If external heating is used to release analytes from pre-concentrator, then analyte release can be achieved, but heating uniformity is poor and contact requirements are complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating function directly into the pre-concentrator device by incorporating a heating element within the fiber structure, merging the concentration and release functions into a single integrated unit. This eliminates the need for separate external heating equipment and complex contact arrangements, while ensuring uniform heating throughout the analyte-binding fibers.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-concentrator is designed to be self-heating through an integrated heating element, allowing it to release analytes independently without requiring external heating infrastructure. The device serves itself by containing the necessary heating mechanism within its own structure, eliminating dependence on external systems.
2Speed
If electrospun fiber is used as detection mechanism, then fast response time is achieved, but false positive rate is high and specificity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pre-concentrator stage with selective binding moieties as an intermediary between the sample and the electrospun fiber detector. This mediator selectively captures target analytes before they reach the detector, ensuring that only specific analytes trigger the fast electrospun fiber response, thereby eliminating false positives while preserving the fast response advantage.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection system is segmented into two distinct functional stages: a pre-concentration stage with selective binding capability and a detection stage with fast response. This segmentation allows each component to specialize - the pre-concentrator provides specificity while the electrospun fiber provides speed, resolving the contradiction between response time and reliability.
3Quantity of substance
If long collection time is used in pre-concentrators, then analyte concentration is improved, but detection efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs temperature parameter changes to control analyte release kinetics. By using controlled heating, the system can rapidly release concentrated analytes from the pre-concentrator in a predictable time frame, transforming the traditionally slow release process into an efficient, controllable operation that maintains high analyte concentration while improving detection throughput.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient concentration and release of analytes, reducing false positives and improving detection sensitivity, allowing for the reliable identification of chemical and biological agents even at low concentrations, with the ability to operate independently of external heating sources.
Implementation Method 1
bind, concentrate, and release, a variety of compounds/agents of interest... by weak non-covalent mechanisms
Implementation Method 2
The electrospun fibers comprising at least one polymer, at least one chemo-specific functional group and/or a bio-specific moiety and at least one conducting agent
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to pre-concentrator compositions, devices, systems, and/or methods for concentrating small quantities of chemical or biological compounds, e.g., CBRNE compounds. A pre-concentrator of the disclosure may be operable to releasably bind and concentrate CBRNE compounds. In some embodiments, a pre-concentrator may comprise a 3-D structure of electrospun nanofibers, that comprise at least one polymer, one conducting agent and at least one chemical-specific functional group and/or biological-specific moiety configured to selectively bind to a CBRNE compound. Bound compounds may be released and detected. Pre-concentrator devices and systems operable to bind, concentrate, and/or detect one or more CBRNE compounds are described. Devices and systems of the disclosure may be configured to concentrate and detect multiple compounds. Methods for synthesizing pre-concentrators as well as methods for concentrating, detecting and identifying compounds of interest are also set forth.