Novel dehumidifier including breath sampling

A team of investigators from the University of Pittsburgh have developed a dehumidifier composed of a ceramic thermoelectric module attached to an acrylic chamber or Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) based microchannel.

Description

Designed using a thermos electric cooler and fan that, when charged by DC power, release heat which is absorbed by the other side leading to dehumidification via condensation of moisture from the air flow. Through inclusion of small PDMS microchannels small volumes of breath sample can be processed, thereby enabling the device to act as a portable breathalyzer as well as a dehumidifier.

Applications

1. Environmental humidity control
2. Building design
3. Diabetes monitoring
4. Portable breathalyzer

Advantages

There are many existing dehumidifiers available. However, the inclusion of a carbon nanotube acetone sensor or small PDMS microchannels to allow for breath sample analysis is novel. The miniaturization efforts used in this device allow for use in portable breathalyzers.

Invention Readiness

A prototype has been developed using human breath simulation. Following examination of results using a desiccant or a multistage process, with dehumidifiers connected in parallel, it was found that a multi-stage approach is significantly more efficient than the use of desiccant regarding time taken to reduce humidity. Moving forward, this approach was determined as the best-case scenario for inclusion of breath sensors.

IP Status

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220397493A1