Our technology

The science behind PFAS detection in the field

Wave Lumina puts a lab-grade analytical method in your hands. By pairing reagent sample prep with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on engineered nanoparticle strips, our portable, field-ready system identifies which PFAS are present in water — quantitatively, on-site, in about 20 minutes.

Join the pilot program Send in a sample

NSF SBIR Phase I
Activate Fellow '25
U.S. Patent 12,644,842
Great Lakes Innovation Award
Launching 2027

How the science works

From a few milliliters of water to a PFAS readout — in the field

Wave Lumina compresses a lab-grade analytical workflow into a portable system. Each step is engineered to keep parts-per-trillion sensitivity while running at the sample point, so teams get answers without shipping samples off-site.

Step 01 · Sample prep

Reagent chemistry concentrates PFAS from water

A few milliliters of water are run through our field liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) chemistry. The reagents pull trace PFAS-class surfactants out of the sample and concentrate them — the step that makes parts-per-trillion detection possible without a lab.

Step 02 · Nanoparticle test strip

An engineered substrate amplifies the molecular signal

The prepared extract is applied to a nanoparticle test strip — a substrate engineered for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Its metallic nanostructures concentrate light at the molecular scale, amplifying an otherwise faint Raman signal by orders of magnitude so trace PFAS become measurable.

Step 03 · SERS measurement

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy reads the fingerprint

A Raman laser scans the strip. Every molecule scatters light in a distinct spectral pattern, so the SERS measurement captures a chemical fingerprint of the PFAS-class surfactants present in the sample — quantitatively, not just a yes/no.

Step 04 · Reader + software

The field-ready reader identifies which PFAS are present

Our portable, field-ready reader and analysis software interpret the spectrum using chemometric models, returning a decision-ready measurement and identifying which PFAS-class compounds are driving the signal — all on-site, in about 20 minutes.

Four surface-enhanced Raman spectral response panels — blank control, 500 ppt, 25 ppb, and 50 ppb PFAS — showing the measured signal (blue) rising above the control baseline (grey) as concentration increases. — The SERS measurement in action: as PFAS concentration climbs from a blank control to 50 ppb, the surface-enhanced Raman response (blue) rises distinctly above the baseline (grey) across characteristic spectral regions.

Want the full validation dataset?

The complete technical whitepaper includes the raw SERS spectra, full calibration curves, and matrix-recovery results behind these figures. We share it with environmental professionals evaluating the method.

Request the whitepaper

Total surfactant-class PFAS screening; not a certified regulatory method. Confirmatory laboratory analysis is required for regulatory reporting.

The device

Field-ready hardware, built for the back of an SUV

Everything an environmental team needs to screen for PFAS travels in a single case. Here's what the system actually is — and what to expect from a day in the field.

Form factorPelican-case portableThe full system fits in a Pelican case and runs from the back of an SUV — no benchtop, no lab.

PowerFull 12-hour field dayMinimal power draw runs an entire field day on an external portable battery system.

Sample volume1 mL per test · 3 mL per sampleEach measurement uses 1 mL of water, run in triplicate (3 mL total) for quality-controlled results.

Throughput4 samples per 20-min blockSamples run in batches of four in 20-minute blocks — decision-ready while your crew is still on site.

Screening sensitivity~300 ppt total PFASClass-level surfactant screening to ~300 ppt; down to ~25 ppt total PFAS in some samples after site-specific calibration.

Result readoutOn-device softwareOur reader software returns a quantitative reading on-site and identifies which PFAS-class compounds are driving the signal.

Linearity plot of Raman response versus PFAS concentration in ppb for DI water (R² = 0.992) and groundwater (R² = 1.000), both following straight calibration lines. — Response scales linearly with PFAS concentration in both clean lab water (DI, R² = 0.992) and real groundwater (R² = 1.000) — quantitative performance holds in field matrices, not just ideal conditions.

Scatter plot of Wave Lumina predicted PFAS concentration versus measured laboratory concentration, with points from multiple sample types falling along a 1:1 trend line. — Field-screening readings plotted against confirmatory LC-MS lab values across independent samples — points track the 1:1 line (R² ≥ 0.98) after site-specific calibration, down to total PFAS concentrations as low as 25 ppt.

Surfactant-class PFAS screening; not a certified regulatory method. Sensitivity figures are field-validation results; confirmatory laboratory analysis is required for regulatory reporting.

Protected by U.S. Patent 12,644,842 — "Method and System for Quantifying a Concentration of a Chemical Entity in a Matrix."

The workflow

Four steps from sample to decision-ready result

Wave Lumina pairs liquid-liquid extraction with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to deliver quantitative PFAS screening in real groundwater — so finding contamination no longer means waiting weeks for a lab.

Wave Lumina PFAS field-screening workflow, from water sample to decision-ready result. — From a 3 mL water sample to a decision-ready PFAS readout in about 20 minutes — entirely on-site.

Prep the water sample on-site

Collect a few milliliters of water and run our liquid-liquid extraction chemistry right in the field — no shipping, no chain-of-custody delays.

Load the SERS sensor

The prepared extract is applied to a nanoparticle substrate engineered for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of PFAS-class surfactants.

Read results in ~20 minutes

A Raman scan plus our analysis software returns a decision-ready PFAS measurement on the spot — so teams can prioritize sampling and triage while still in the field.

Validated performance

Lab-grade analytical performance, field-deployable speed

~20 minDecision-ready PFAS screening on-site — vs. days to weeks for lab turnaround.

300 pptSub-ppb field sensitivity, benchmarked against LC-MS/MS reference data.

R² ≥ 0.98Linearity in real groundwater, approaching EPA Method 1633A criteria.

65–125%Spike recovery in real groundwater, within EPA 1633A acceptance criteria.

Total surfactant-class PFAS screening; analytical performance as of Q1 FY26 and not a certified regulatory method. Confirmatory laboratory analysis is required for regulatory reporting.

See the technology in the field

We're partnering with environmental professionals to run on-site screening against paired lab analysis. Join the pilot program to put the sensor to work on your own contaminated sites — or send in a water sample to see the science in action.

Join the pilot program Send in a sample