Space Flight Solid Phase Microextraction (Space Flight SPME)

The objective of this research project is to investigate the potential application of Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) fibers for flight implementation. SPME is a highly sensitive sample preparation technology widely used in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, environmental, and forensics fields to analyze both fluid and air samples. SPME fibers are coated with specially designed polymers or sorbents that bind and concentrate volatile and semi-volatile compounds. Once analytes have been absorbed on to the coated fiber they can then be desorbed in the inlet of a chromatographic instrument and identified by mass spectrometry. SPME fibers are routinely used to isolate and characterize analytes in part-per-trillion concentrations. A variety of coatings have been optimized for particular compound classes based on their volatility and molecular mass.

The benefits of SPME for chemical analysis can be generalized as they apply to sensitivity, resolution, and solvent concerns. SPME offers a way to preferentially concentrate rare analytes of interest in an air or fluid sample and would increase our ability to characterize low abundance compounds otherwise below the detection. SPME also offers a way to purify analytes of interest from the sample matrix, decreasing the need for extensive chromatography and limiting the number of compounds entering a detector. Finally, SPME could provide an alternative to solvent extraction and be used to capture volatile organics as they are thermally desorbed from a solid or could also be used to capture soluble analytes in these extracts without the solvent reduction steps typically necessary to pre-concentrate the solution.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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