USA as Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Michael D Putnam

Pamela A Boss

Gregory Wayne Anderson

An apparatus comprising: a direct push probe configured to be pushed into a subsurface soil environment; a transparent window mounted to a side of the probe; a white light source mounted within the probe and positioned such that when the white light source is activated only white light exits the window; an ultraviolet (UV) light source mounted within the probe and positioned such that when the UV light source is activated only UV light having a given wavelength exits the window; and an imaging system disposed within the probe and configured to capture a white-light-only-illuminated image and a UV-light-induced-fluorescence image of the subsurface soil environment at a given depth, wherein the imaging system comprises a longpass filter to filter out the UV light having the given wavelength.

Native fluorescence imaging direct push probe

A perchlorate detector comprising: surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-active, magnetic, capture matrices that are selective for perchlorate, wherein the capture matrices are designed to be added to a sample solution; a detection chamber configured to hold the sample solution and the capture matrices; a selectively engageable magnet assembly coupled to the detection chamber such that when the magnet assembly is engaged or disengaged the capture matrices are respectively confined or not confined to a confinement region of the detection chamber; and a Raman spectrometer optically aligned with the confinement region of the detection chamber and configured to interrogate the capture matrices when the magnet assembly is engaged in order to detect and determine a concentration of perchlorate bound to the capture matrices.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Michael D Putnam