August 2019 – H2O Insights awarded NASA Phase I STTR

H2O Insights LLC (dba H2Optic Insights), in conjunction with Arizona State University was awarded a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract from NASA titled “Side-Emitting Optical Fibers for Delivery of UV-C Light to Disinfect Key Bacteria in Space Station Water and Conveyance Systems”. Bacteria and biofilms pose health and operational challenges in human support systems. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the UV-C range can be used to disinfect these systems, however, a crucial technology barrier of LED disinfection is the small surface area that emits irradiation, which necessitates arrays of many LEDs within even the smallest reactor. The side-emitting optical fiber can increase the irradiation area of LEDs by >100x creating a flexible “germicidal glowstick” that can be used to disinfect narrow tubing, irregular spaces, and other applications of interest to NASA.