A Florida State University doctoral candidate is trying to tackle one of the most persistent classes of environmental contaminants with a technology designed not just to capture PFAS, but potentially destroy them. Kimberley Christopher, a doctoral candidate in Florida State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has developed a patent-pending plasma process that uses electrons to trigger the breakdown of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” After winning a collegiate startup pitch competition, Christopher is now testing the technology’s commercial potential through the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program.The NSF-backed project, led by FSU chemical engineering professor Bruce R. Locke, is examining whether the technology can become a cost-competitive, energy-efficient way of destroying PFAS in water. The active I-Corps award runs from September 2026 through August 2027 and provides $50,000 in funding for the team to assess its translation and commercial potential.
Why PFAS are difficult to destroy
PFAS refers to a large class of human-made chemicals that have been used for decades because of their resistance to heat, water, oil and grease. They have been used in products ranging from nonstick cookware and stain-resistant materials to firefighting foams and some industrial applications. Their chemical stability, however, also makes many PFAS extremely difficult to break down once they enter the environment.US health authorities say 97% of people in US have measurable PFAS in their blood, while exposure can occur through contaminated drinking water, food, consumer products and contaminated sites. The US Environmental Protection Agency has also established drinking-water limits for several PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS, reflecting concerns over their potential health effects.The challenge is not simply removing the chemicals from water. Some existing treatment approaches concentrate PFAS and transfer them into another material, leaving the contaminated substance to be managed or disposed of later. That is where Christopher’s research takes a different approach.
From capturing PFAS to breaking them down
Christopher is working with Locke, FSU engineering innovation director Robert Wandell and chemistry professor Igor Alabugin on an electron-based framework for PFAS destruction.The approach uses nonthermal plasma and electrons to initiate chemical reactions that weaken the carbon-fluorine bonds characteristic of PFAS. According to the NSF project description, an electron injected into a PFAS molecule can trigger carbon-fluorine bond fragmentation, with the electron subsequently regenerated. The proposed mechanism therefore allows the electron to act catalytically rather than simply being consumed in the reaction.Research presented by Christopher and her FSU collaborators has focused on electron upconversion, a process intended to generate stronger reducing agents from relatively mild electron donors. Their computational work suggests that the approach can weaken carbon-fluorine bonds and promote degradation of certain PFAS compounds in nonthermal plasma systems.FSU called the resulting technology the Radi-Reactor plasma process. The university said it is designed to permanently destroy PFAS rather than merely transfer the contaminants from water into another waste stream. The distinction is important because Christopher’s work is still in the research and commercialisation-validation stage. The technology is being evaluated through I-Corps to determine where it could work best and which customers would actually need it.
30 interviews helped shape the idea
Christopher did not initially enter her doctoral program intending to become an entrepreneur. Her research is in computational physical organic chemistry, but a regional I-Corps program introduced her to the commercial side of scientific research.As part of the regional program, Christopher conducted 30 discovery interviews with potential users and stakeholders. The goal was to understand how organisations currently deal with PFAS contamination, what problems remain unresolved and which potential customer groups could benefit most from a destruction technology.PFAS contamination affects a wide range of industries and waste streams, making the customer-discovery process particularly important. The NSF project identifies possible applications including PFAS-rich landfill leachate, firefighting-foam waste, industrial wastewater and drinking water. Christopher’s experience eventually took the technology from laboratory discussions to a competitive pitch.
From pitch competition to NSF I-Corps
After completing the regional I-Corps program, Christopher was nominated by FSU’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship to participate in the Florida Venture Forum Collegiate Pitch Competition. There, she presented the PFAS technology to investors, venture capitalists and other potential supporters. With support from FSU’s IGNITE program, Christopher won first place, according to the university.The win helped move the project into the next phase. Christopher’s team began the NSF’s national I-Corps program in early September 2026. Unlike a conventional scientific research grant, I-Corps focuses heavily on customer discovery and determining whether a laboratory invention can become a viable product or business.The NSF describes I-Corps as a seven-week entrepreneurial training program designed to help scientists and engineers move promising inventions beyond the laboratory and toward commercialisation. Since its launch in 2012, more than 2,500 teams have participated, with nearly 1,400 subsequently launching startups, according to the NSF.
100 interviews in seven weeks
The next stage is considerably larger than Christopher’s first round of customer research. Her team plans to complete 100 discovery interviews over seven weeks, from September through October, as it investigates potential markets and identifies the customer segment most likely to benefit from the technology.The goal is not simply to prove that the chemistry works. Christopher also wants to determine where the process could have the greatest real-world impact and whether it can eventually compete on cost and efficiency with existing approaches. That distinction is central to the I-Corps process. The NSF says the program is designed to reduce the risks involved in moving technologies from laboratories into the marketplace by forcing researchers to test assumptions with potential customers and industry participants.Christopher hopes the work will eventually form the basis of a new company called Radical Solutions Corp. Her longer-term goal is to make the PFAS-destruction technology more effective and cost-competitive while finding applications where permanent destruction offers a clear advantage over simply concentrating or transferring the contaminants.For now, the FSU researcher is still at the crucial testing stage. The technology has not yet become a commercial PFAS treatment system, and its performance, economics and scalability remain subjects of ongoing evaluation.But the path from a doctoral research project to a statewide pitch competition and now a federally funded I-Corps program illustrates how university research can move toward the marketplace.For Christopher, the next test is no longer confined to the laboratory. It is whether a technology designed to break apart some of the most persistent chemicals in the environment can also solve a practical problem for the industries and communities dealing with them.
