SBIR Phase I: A Portable Oxygen Concentrator with High Flow Rates for In-home Therapy (COVID-19)

  • Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Total publications:0 publications

Grant number: 2136709

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19
  • Start & end year

    2022
    2023
  • Known Financial Commitments (USD)

    $256,000
  • Funder

    National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Principal Investigator

    Jun Kamata
  • Research Location

    United States of America
  • Lead Research Institution

    AIROMATIX INC
  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A
  • Research Category

    Clinical characterisation and management

  • Research Subcategory

    Supportive care, processes of care and management

  • Special Interest Tags

    Innovation

  • Study Type

    Non-Clinical

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Not Applicable

  • Vulnerable Population

    Not applicable

  • Occupations of Interest

    Not applicable

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to enable easy oxygen delivery to patients with respiratory conditions. Currently, patients requiring high flow-rates of oxygen above 4 L/min require oxygen tanks that are large, heavy and can be hazardous, limiting mobility and transportation options. The proposed system produces breathable oxygen at higher flow rates and lower energy compared to current portable oxygen concentrators, enabling sustained patient use. This enables sustained oxygen production in a portable manner to manage medical conditions causing oxygen deprivation, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a portable system that utilizes a novel photocatalytic (light activated) reaction to separate oxygen from ambient air, trapped in a chemical solution, then released as needed through a temperature-controlled reaction. This project will monitor the capture and release reactions using absorption spectroscopy to determine the ideal conditions of oxygen production. Several photosensitizer chemical compounds (fullerene C70 and C60, rubrene, and methylene blue with urea) will be evaluated on system longevity by continuously cycling the systems under higher temperatures and light exposure, and monitoring their effects on oxygen production. A prototype will then be developed that generates targeted oxygen flow rates at the desired rate of energy consumption, and the oxygen produced validated as safe for inhalation using bench tests.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.