RAPID, PORTABLE ANALYZER FOR MOBILE MEASUREMENTS OF TRACE LEVEL VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

In this SBIR effort, Nikira Labs Inc. proposes to utilize its patent-pending non-paraxial multipass cell (NPMC) method coupled with a widely-tunable, mid-infrared quantum cascade laser to develop a portable analyzer capable of making rapid (1 Hz) measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at trace levels (ppb-levels). The system will provide speciation and concentration of VOCs aboard a mobile platform for studies of pollutant emissions and their impact on air quality to specific neighborhoods. These VOCs have been implicated in direct health effects, odor, and the formation of particulate matter (PM2.5).