Wearable Personal Hydrazine Monitoring System

We propose to develop a rapid, high sensitivity, personal monitoring device for hydrazine that is based upon the Surface Triggering of Propagated Crystal Lattice Destabilization (STPCLD) phenomenon. This represents a novel approach to rapid, high sensitivity sensors and is based upon noncovalent derivatization (NCD). The sensor will consist of a two-dimensional cocrystal film of a hydrazine-interacting molecule and a color-forming molecule. When bound within the crystal, the color-former is not colored, but when the crystal liquefies, the color-former takes on color. The uncolored crystal is maintained just below its phase transition temperature. When hydrazine interacts with one of the hydrazine-interacting molecules, it causes a defect in the two-dimensional lattice. Because the composition is chosen near the crystal melting temperature, the crystal is entropically poised to melt. A local liquefication occurs, which spreads rapidly along crystal dislocations. The specific objectives are: 1. To synthesize and prepare a set of bis-phthalimide derivatives for testing as hydrazine-interactive substrates. 2. To test the set of bis-phthalimide derivatives as hydrazine-interactive substrates for hydrazine induced melting. a. To determine the best substrate. b. To determine the ideal operating temperature. c. To determine the sensitivity to hydrazine and ammonia. 3. To design Phase II configuration.

WBI's hydrazine monitoring system is designed to meet NASA's mission goal for Environmental Monitoring, particularly for occupants of the ISS and subsequent extended space missions as well as during fueling. Our system is designed to meet the requirements of: requiring no ground analysis, limited crew time, miniaturization, low power consumption, no need for calibration. Because of the nature of the sensing element, replacement is only necessary when an adverse hydrazine event occurs. The proposed device will provide a significantly more rapid warning of potential hydrazine danger than existing systems.

Hydrazine monitoring is a very significant problem faced by US industries. The US industrial hydrazine market size was $355.7 million in 2015 and is growing at a CAGR of 4.9%. Globally, the hydrazine market is forecasted to reach $547 million by 2024. According to the Royal Chemical Society, there are ~ 100 million Kg of hydrazine produced per year worldwide. In the United States, the CDC has identified 45 chemical companies that manufacture or process significant amounts of hydrazine. Thus, there is a very significant market for hydrazine monitoring to protect the safety of personnel.

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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