XinYan Chen: A Portable Device That Detects and Destroys Formaldehyde
A Portable Device That Detects and Destroys Formaldehyde.
XinYan Chen designed a mobile indoor-air device that does two jobs: measures trace formaldehyde and catalytically breaks it down into carbon dioxide and water. In a reported closed-box test, the prototype lowered formaldehyde concentration by almost 90% over 18 hours. The design challenges the idea that monitoring and remediation must be separate, costly systems.
Innovation mindset: When a sensor identifies danger, ask whether the same device can also take useful action instead of merely sounding an alarm.
Official project title: A Digital and Portable Integrated Apparatus for Dynamic Monitoring and Highly Efficient Catalysis of Trace Formaldehyde Using Fe-Based TiO2 Single-nanoparticle Photocatalyst (Environmental Engineering). Location differs between the awards list (Shanghai) and the press release (San Gabriel, California).
IP note
No public IP record; any filing made around the May 2025 fair would not yet be published under the 18-month rule — register check due from late 2026.
Recognition
Regeneron ISEF 2025 — First Award ($6,000); Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation ($10,000).
What this means for a student inventor in India
[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]
Related young innovators
- Boyan Slat — The Ocean Cleanup
- Gitanjali Rao — Tethys
- Deepika Kurup — Solar photocatalytic water purifier
Sources
[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]
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