KR100710692B1 - Enviro-chip - Google Patents

Abstract

An environmental chip of the present invention, the inlet for receiving air to be measured from the outside; A filter unit for filtering only particles having a size of 5 μm or less from the introduced air; A particle fractionation unit for classifying and branching fine particles having a size of 1 μm or less and particles having a size in a range of 1 μm to 5 μm from the air filtered by the filter part; A fine particle detector for detecting the water concentration of the fine particles contained in the air by receiving air containing the fine particles branched by the particle sorter; A floating bacteria detection unit which receives air containing particles having a size ranging from 1 μm to 5 μm branched by the particle classification unit and determines whether airborne bacteria are present in the air; A volatile organic compound detector that detects a volatile organic compound contained in the air by receiving air containing fine particles branched by the particle sorter; And a discharge unit for discharging air passing through the microparticle detection unit, the floating bacteria detection unit, and the volatile organic compound detection unit to the outside.

Fine particles, suspended bacteria, volatile organic compounds, portability, lab-on-a-chip, real-time measurement

Description

Environmental Chip {Enviro-Chip}

1 is a perspective view briefly showing the structure of an environmental chip according to the present invention;

2 is a SEM photograph showing the micro corona charge of the microparticle detection unit of FIG.

3 is a SEM photograph showing the cantilever beam of the volatile organic compound detection unit of FIG. 1.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

110: inlet 120: filter

130: particle classification unit 140: fine particle detection unit

143: charged portion 145: detector

150: floating bacteria detection unit 155a: first agar medium

155b: second agar medium 160: volatile organic compound detection unit

165: cantilever 170: discharge portion

The present invention relates to an environmental chip, and more particularly, to an environmental chip including a fine particle detection device, an airborne bacterium detection device, and a volatile organic compound detection device on one chip.

In general, aerosols are particles having a size ranging from 0.001 μm to 100 μm suspended in air, the shape of which is non-spherical and they are dust, mist, fume or smog ) And its particle size is defined using geometrical characteristics, light scattering phenomena, electrical properties, aerodynamic properties, etc. of the particles.

Since aerosols are related to various fields such as energy, environment, and health, and have a great impact on industrial and human health, the importance of research on the size and characteristics thereof is gradually increasing.

In particular, the importance of the measurement of fine particles (PM1), bioaerosol and volatile organic compounds (PM1) having a size of 1 μm or less affecting human health among the aerosols suspended in the indoor environment is emphasized more. have.

As the equipment for measuring the microparticles, suspended bacteria and volatile organic compounds, Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (GC / MS), and a media sampler are used.

However, such equipment cannot measure the microparticles, suspended bacteria and volatile organic compounds all in one equipment, and requires independent equipment to measure each component, and these measuring equipments are expensive and large equipment. In order to use, there are a lot of costs and problems to be measured in a fixed place.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a detection device for detecting microparticles, airborne bacteria and volatile organic compounds in one device, and to manufacture a compact and portable size. It is to provide an environmental chip that can be conveniently used in real time at the place.

Environmental chip according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the inlet receiving air to be measured from the outside; A filter unit for filtering only particles having a size of 5 μm or less from the introduced air; A particle fractionation unit for classifying and branching fine particles having a size of 1 μm or less and particles having a size in a range of 1 μm to 5 μm from the air filtered by the filter part; A fine particle detector for detecting the water concentration of the fine particles contained in the air by receiving air containing the fine particles branched by the particle sorter; A floating bacteria detection unit which receives air containing particles having a size ranging from 1 μm to 5 μm branched by the particle classification unit and determines whether airborne bacteria are present in the air; A volatile organic compound detector that detects a volatile organic compound contained in the air by receiving air containing fine particles branched by the particle sorter; It includes; and the discharge unit for discharging the air passing through the fine particle detection unit, suspended bacteria detection unit and volatile organic compound detection unit to the outside.

In addition, in the environmental chip according to the present invention, the filter unit is provided with a plurality of through-holes, the through-hole plate for passing the introduced air through the through-hole, the size of 5㎛ or less in the air passed through the through-hole plate It characterized in that it comprises a collision plate for passing only particles having a.

In addition, in the environmental chip according to the present invention, the microparticle detection unit may include a charged part that generates a micro corona discharge to the air containing the microparticles introduced from the particle fractionation unit to charge on the surface of the microparticles; And detecting a fine particle charged through the charged part, measuring a current amount, calculating a current value thereof, and detecting a water concentration of the fine particle.

In addition, in the environmental chip according to the present invention, the airborne bacteria detection unit, the air introduced through the through-hole formed in the center receiving the air containing the particles having a size in the range of 1㎛ to 5㎛ from the particle fractionation section A first through plate penetrating the first plate; A first agar medium for culturing suspended bacteria contained in air penetrated through the through hole of the first through plate; A second through plate through which the air passing through the first agar medium passes through the through hole formed in the center portion; And a second agar medium for culturing suspended bacteria contained in air penetrated through the through hole of the second through plate. The first changed by the suspended bacteria cultured in the first and second agar medium. And by measuring the electrical conductivity change rate of the second agar medium, it is characterized in that the presence of airborne bacteria in the air.

In addition, in the environmental chip according to the present invention, the volatile organic compound detection unit, a plurality of cantilever is arranged in an zigzag alternating form and zigzag through the air containing the fine particles introduced from the particle fractionation unit, Reducing the cantilever by reacting the volatile organic compound contained in the air with the reaction-inducing substance of the cantilever, and measuring the concentration of the volatile organic compound contained in the air by converting the strain of the modified cantilever into an electrical signal. Characterized in that.

Hereinafter, the environmental chip according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view briefly showing the structure of an environmental chip according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a SEM photograph showing a micro corona charge of the microparticle detection unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cantilever beam detection unit of the volatile organic compound detection unit of FIG. SEM picture showing the.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the environmental chip 100 according to the present invention includes an inflow unit 110, a filter unit 120, a particle classification unit 130, a fine particle detection unit 140, and a floating bacteria detection unit. 150, the volatile organic compound detection unit 160 and the discharge unit 170.

Here, the inlet 110 is connected to the filter unit 120 and introduces air to be measured from the outside into the environment chip 100.

The filter unit 120 is composed of a first through plate 123, a first through hole 125, and a collision plate 127, and is connected to the inlet 110 and the particle sorting unit 130. Only the particles having a size of 5 μm or less of the air introduced from the inlet 110 are passed through.

In this case, the first through-hole plate 123, the first through-hole 125 is formed in the central portion, the first through-hole 125 having air having particles of various sizes introduced from the inlet portion (110) Penetrate through.

In addition, the impingement plate 127 filters by passing only particles having a size of 5 μm or less in the air passed through the first through hole 125.

The particle fractionation unit 130 is composed of first, second and third branch openings (130a, 130b, 130c), the filter unit 120, the fine particle detection unit 140, the floating bacteria detection unit 150 And the volatile organic compound detection unit 160, and branched into fine particles having a size of 1 μm or less and particles having a size in the range of 1 μm to 5 μm in the air filtered by the filter unit 120. .

In this case, the first and third branch openings (130a, 130c), the fine particle detection unit 140 and the air containing the fine particles having a size of 1㎛ or less of the air filtered from the filter unit 120 and The volatile organic compound detection unit 160 classifies and branches.

In addition, the second branch 130b is located at the center of the first branch 130a and the third branch 130c, and 1 μm to 5 μm of air filtered from the filter unit 120. The air containing particles having a size in the range is classified and branched to the floating bacteria detection unit 150.

The fine particle detection unit 140 is composed of a charging unit 143 and the detection unit 145, and is connected to the particle classification unit 130 and the discharge unit 170, the first of the particle classification unit 130 The water concentration of the microparticles contained in the air is detected by receiving air containing the microparticles having a size of 1 μm or less branched through the first branch 130a.

In this case, the charging unit 143 is composed of one or more micro corona charge (143a), the air introduced through the first branch port 130a of the particle sorting unit 130 is a micro corona charge (143a) Passing through) generates a micro corona discharge to charge the surface of the fine particles in the air.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the micro corona charge 143a has a pyramid shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be modified in various forms such as a triangular pyramid, a circular column, and an elliptical column.

Next, the detector 145 detects the amount of current generated by the surface charge of the charged fine particles while passing through the charged portion 143, measures the amount of current in the surface charge of the fine particles, and then measures the amount of current. The current value is calculated to detect the number concentration of the fine particles corresponding to the current value.

As a result, the microparticle detector 140 receives the air containing the microparticles from the particle separator 130 and does not change the air in the gas state to another state, and thus the charge unit 143 and the detector 145. While passing through) it is possible to detect the water concentration of the fine particles contained in the air.

The floating bacteria detection unit 150 is composed of second and third through plates 153a and 153b, second and third through holes 154a and 154b, and first and second agar plates 155a and 155b. The introduced air is connected to the particle sorting unit 130 and the discharge unit 170 and receives the air containing particles having a size ranging from 1 μm to 5 μm branched by the particle sorting unit 130. The presence of suspended bacteria in the system is determined.

In this case, the second through-plate 153a penetrates through the second through-hole 154a formed in the center of the air containing particles having a size in the range of 1㎛ to 5㎛ introduced from the particle fractionation unit 130 Let's do it.

Then, the first agar medium (155a), the air by airborne bacteria such as Bacillus Subtilis existing in the air penetrated through the second through hole 154a of the second through plate 153a. The suspended bacteria are incubated in a short time to determine contamination.

Then, the airborne bacteria present in the air grows on the first agar medium 155a and emits acidic metabolites, which causes a change in electrical conductivity of the first agar medium 155a.

In addition, the third through plate 153b penetrates the air passing through the first agar medium 155a through the third through hole 154b formed in the center portion.

Thereafter, the second agar medium 155b incubates the airborne bacteria present in the air penetrated through the third through hole 154b of the third through plate 153b.

Then, similar to the first agar medium 155a, the second agar medium 155b also has a change in electrical conductivity due to the floating bacteria.

Therefore, the floating bacteria detection unit 150 may determine the presence of floating bacteria in the air by measuring the electrical conductivity change rate of the first and second agar media 155a and 155b.

The volatile organic compound detection unit 160 is composed of a pretreatment filter 163 and a plurality of cantilever 165, and are connected to the particle classification unit 130 and the discharge unit 170, and the particle classification unit 130. The air containing the fine particles branched by the inflow is detected to detect volatile organic compounds contained in the air.

In this case, the pretreatment filter 163 may pass only the volatile organic compounds contained in the air branched by the particle fractionation unit 130 and may not pass the microparticles, thereby minimizing interference by the microparticles. .

In addition, the cantilever 165 has a reaction-causing substance at its outer portion, and is arranged in an alternating manner in a zigzag manner, and the cantilever 165 receives air from which fine particles are removed by the pretreatment filter 163. Pass through the zigzag along, and reacts the volatile organic compound contained in the air with the reaction-inducing material.

Then, the cantilever 165 is deformed by the reaction between the volatile organic compound and the reaction-inducing material.

As shown in FIG. 3, the volatile organic compound reacts with the reaction-inducing substance in the outer portion of the straight cantilever 165 such as "B" to display the cantilever 165 as indicated by "A". Transform.

Next, the volatile organic compound detection unit 160 converts the strain of the deformed cantilever 165 into an electrical signal and measures the concentration of the volatile organic compound contained in the air, thereby measuring the volatile contained in the air. The concentration of organic compound can be measured.

The discharge unit 170 is composed of first, second and third discharge ports (170a, 170b, 170c), the fine particle detection unit 140, suspended bacteria detection unit 150 and volatile organic compound detection unit 160 It is connected to and discharges the air passing through them to the outside.

As described above, the environmental chip 100 according to the present invention includes a microparticle detection unit 140, a floating bacteria detection unit 150, and a volatile organic compound detection unit 160 in one chip as a real-time environment detection sensor. At the same time, contaminants such as fine particles, suspended bacteria, and volatile organic compounds contained in the air to be measured can be detected in real time.

In addition, the environmental chip 100, by using a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) technology to produce a lab-on-a-chip (Lab On a Chip) to conduct a research that can be done in the laboratory as a single chip size, miniaturization It can be made and portable, and mass production is possible using the MEMS technology.

In addition, the environmental chip 100, as a gas-based lab-on-a-chip, unlike the liquid-based lab-on-a-chip used in clinical experiments, it is possible to analyze the sample present in the gaseous state in the gaseous state without pretreatment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and various substitutions, modifications, and changes within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention for those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It will be appreciated that such substitutions, changes, and the like should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

As described above, the environmental chip according to the present invention includes a microparticle detection unit, an airborne bacterium detection unit, and a volatile organic compound detection unit in one device to simultaneously remove contaminants of fine particles, airborne bacteria, and volatile organic compounds contained in the air. It is easy to carry because it can be measured and made compact by MEMS technology, and it is easy to use because it can measure gaseous air in real time.

Claims (5)

An inlet receiving air to be measured from the outside; A filter unit for filtering only particles having a size of 5 μm or less from the introduced air; A particle fractionation unit for classifying and branching fine particles having a size of 1 μm or less and particles having a size in a range of 1 μm to 5 μm from the air filtered by the filter part; A fine particle detector for detecting the water concentration of the fine particles contained in the air by receiving air containing the fine particles branched by the particle sorter; A floating bacteria detection unit which receives air containing particles having a size ranging from 1 μm to 5 μm branched by the particle classification unit and determines whether airborne bacteria are present in the air; A volatile organic compound detector that detects a volatile organic compound contained in the air by receiving air containing fine particles branched by the particle sorter; And A discharge unit for discharging air passing through the fine particle detection unit, the floating bacteria detection unit, and the volatile organic compound detection unit to the outside; Environmental chip comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter unit, A plurality of through holes are provided and includes a through plate for passing the introduced air through the through hole, and a collision plate for passing only particles having a size of 5㎛ or less of the air passing through the through plate; Environmental chip. The method of claim 1, wherein the microparticle detection unit, The amount of current is detected by detecting a charged portion that generates charge on the surface of the microparticles by generating a micro corona discharge in the air containing the microparticles introduced from the particle sorter, and the charged fine particles through the charged portion. And a sensing unit for detecting the concentration of the fine particles by calculating a current value thereof after the measurement. The method of claim 1, wherein the floating bacteria detection unit, A first through plate which receives air containing particles having a size in a range of 1 μm to 5 μm from the particle sorting unit and penetrates the introduced air through a through hole formed in a central portion thereof; A first agar medium for culturing suspended bacteria contained in air penetrated through the through hole of the first through plate; A second through plate through which the air passing through the first agar medium passes through the through hole formed in the center portion; And And a second agar medium for culturing suspended bacteria contained in air penetrated through the through hole of the second through plate. And determining the presence of airborne bacteria in the air by measuring the electrical conductivity change rate of the first and second agar medium changed by the airborne bacteria cultured in the first and second agar medium. The method of claim 1, wherein the volatile organic compound detection unit, A plurality of cantilever beams are arranged in a zigzag alternating manner and zigzag passes air containing fine particles introduced from the particle fractionation unit to react volatile organic compounds contained in the air with reaction-producing substances of the cantilever beam. And deforming the cantilever beam, and converting the strain of the deformed cantilever beam into an electrical signal to measure the concentration of volatile organic compounds contained in the air.

Images