Sensing the future

A consortium of leading European organisations in the field of chemical sensing has created a real-time, hand-held spectroscopy sensor that will combat unnecessary food wastage, increase airport safety and help reduce car emissions 

The project MIRPHAB (MidInfraRed PHotonics devices fABrication for chemical sensing and spectroscopic applications) has unveiled a chemical sensor capable of superior detection capabilities and unambiguous identification. The device has many potentially exciting capabilities, such as the early detection of diseases, scanning for bacteria in fridges or even detecting the presence of alcohol from afar. Harnessing new photonics technology, the device uses spectroscopic sensors that read the unique wavelengths given off when liquids or gasses interact with light.

The sensor works on the basis of absorption spectroscopy, the technique that measures how a substance reacts when subject to Infrared or Ultraviolet light. The sample absorbs photons from the light energy and the intensity of the absorption differs according to the material being examined, which can determine what the substance is, and how much of it is present. Thousands of stored chemical profiles would then be searched in the integrated database to make a positive ID, in the same way that the DNA database can analyse genetic material to produce a match. Project coordinator Sergio Nicoletti says: “We are making the next generation of sensors that are compact, low cost, and low on power consumption and capable of real-time detection where the speed and sensibility is unrivalled. We want to shrink current technology down to the size of a mobile phone”.

[caption id="attachment_56390" align="alignnone" width="620"] The device has many potentially exciting capabilities, such as the early detection of diseases, scanning for bacteria in fridges or even detecting the presence of alcohol from afar.[/caption]

Director of Technology and Innovation, at the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), Jose Pozo, says: “Spectroscopic sensing in the Mid-IR wavelength band is a powerful analytical tool. In this wavelength band, the so-called ‘fingerprint region’, chemicals exhibit intense adsorption features allowing superior detection capabilities and unambiguous identification.” “Our sensors are extremely versatile and can be modified so that they can be used many different arenas: take the car industry, for example, where these sensors are being used to monitor hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide or the optimisation of combustion in engine exhausts; in health, MIRPHAB sensors will be used in the non-invasive monitoring of glucose levels in the blood; in industrial control our devices are detecting nitrogen dioxide emissions. And good news for those who are concerned about the unnecessary wastage of food because our chemical sensors are being employed in the detection of bacteria in fridges so you can be absolutely sure what you had prepared to eat was not past its best.”

Representing another success for Photonics21, the European Technology Platform (ETP) for photonics, the MIRPHAB device is being coordinated by one of the major European research centres for applied electronics CEA-Leti, in France. Made up of 18 leading organisations, including III-V Lab, mirSense, EPIC, Fraunhofer, and Bosch, all committed to deploying new technology into the marketplace, MIRPHAB has received an impressive €13,013,967.39 of funding from the European Commission's Photonics Public Private Partnership under the Horizon 2020 program, and €2,005,280.00 from the Swiss Government. This is very encouraging news in addressing societal challenges like climate change or monitoring emission controls and MIRPHAB looks set to achieve its goal of increasing the competitiveness of Europe’s photonics industry in the field of sensing and spectroscopy of chemicals in the mid IR region.

It may seem like something out of a science fiction film, but attaching one to a drone could mark the realisation of the next generation of safety devices

With links already established in sectors such as health, automotive, medical and domestic, Pozo explains that, far from being a standalone project, MIRPHAB will help to keep Europe at the head of the global photonics race by turning these achievements into business and commercial opportunities for both SMEs and large industrial groups. "Within MIRPHAB, we have set the ambitious goal of creating a commercially viable pilot line for the fabrication of Mid-IR sensors that is ready for business by 2020. The pilot line will have established a full industrial supply chain to make ready-to-use sensing devices available for application developers on a commercial basis. This result will be achieved by setting up and operating a fabrication platform for Mid-IR photonics devices, offering open access for fast Mid-IR device prototyping to SME, Industry and academics.

“Any European company with a business on analytical sensing can apply. They will receive matching funding to cover the prototyping costs of the MID-IR sensing system of up to €230K. Such a system will be integrated from mature components from our extended library, including laser sources, detectors and micro-optics. Furthermore, the related services to prototyping also include micro assembly and standard reliability studies", said Pozo. The new miniaturised spectroscopy sensor technology developed by MIRPHAB has many potential uses. It may seem like something out of a science fiction film, but attaching one to a drone could mark the realisation of the next generation of safety devices. An industrial chemical company, for example, may use it to sense methane leaks, or for use in hot or hazardous areas that are unsafe for humans carrying traditional portable spectrometers.

Companies, such as Sky-Futures, a UAV Oil and Gas Inspection Service, are already employing drone-lead technology to inspect hazardous areas on and offshore. By combining the two technologies could lead to a scanner for the chemical sensing industry similar to the mapping drones used in the 2012 film Prometheus. Because the device can scan from a distance of up to several feet and is capable of instantaneous, real-time, unambiguous detection the potential uses are wide and varied for tackling societal challenges. One important area that stands out is airport security. This next-generation chemical sensor would be an invaluable tool in keeping us safe in airports, by being able to scan for dangerous chemicals as well as spotting any persons carrying illegal drugs. In our existing security measures by the time a potential law-breaker had passed onto an aeroplane the threat would have been identified and substantially eliminated.

What separates this next generation of chemical sensors is their stand-off detection capabilities, meaning the small devices could be installed on the front of airports, scanning crowds in real-time for suspicious material, like dangerous chemicals or illegal drugs, before they even entered the building. In practical terms of walking air passengers through a designated ‘scanning space’, the new device has a realistic detection rate of one sample every few seconds. However, the real-time scanning capabilities of the device could, in theory, instantly inspect as many packages that were placed in front of it within the detection range. The new device could therefore process 1200 passengers per hour, delivering over 6 times more capability than state of the art trace portal scanners that detect suspicious packages and illegal drugs at a rate of 180 of per hour.

[box type="shadow" ]MIRPHAB is made up of 18 leading organisations from 9 different countries, including CEA-Leti, III-V Lab, mirSense, EPIC and Tematys (France); Fraunhofer IAF, IPMS and IPT, Nanoplus and Robert Bosch (Germany), IQE, Compound Semiconductor and Cacade Technologies (UK); CSEM and Alpes Laser (Switzerland); Vigo (Poland); IMEC (Belgium); Norsk Elektro Optikk (Norway); Quantared Technologies (Austria); Phoenix (Netherlands).[/box]