Our Research activities
Compact acoustic detection modules
Realization of compact acoustic detection module including a custom-made quartz tuning fork and micro-resonator system, optical access via two windows and gas in and out connections.
Custom-made tuning forks and micro-resonators
Custom-made quartz tuning fork properly designed and realized to offer high performance for QEPAS sensors, in terms of quality factor and electrical charges collection efficiency.
Fiber-coupled mid-IR QEPAS Sensors
Fiber-optic components are key enabling technologies to improve the robustness and effectiveness of QEPAS sensors in terms of flexible beam guidance and compactness.
Cavity-Enhanced QEPAS Sensors
Ultra-sensitive and selective QEPAS sensors combined with high-finesse optical cavities can increase the detection sensitivity up to two orders of magnitude.
THz QEPAS SENSORS
High sensitivity THz molecular spectroscopy is crucial for the study of chemical processes related to ozone depletion and global warming, as well as direct identification of explosives and drugs.
EU Project OPTAPHI 2020-2023
The OPTAPHI Postgraduate Training Network aims to train doctoral students in the complementary fields of advanced spectroscopy and integrated optics. Specifically, the focus is on the methods of photo-acoustic and photo-thermal spectroscopy, and their integration with compact semiconductor lasers.
EU PROJECT PASSEPARTOUT 2021-2024
PASSEPARTOUT will advance the development and deployment of miniature, optical based sensors based on Quartz Enhanced Photo-acoustic Spectroscopy and Photo-Thermal Interferometry for a wide range of ambient pollutants. PASSPARTOUT will realize the first 3D mobile optical gas analyser network capable of operating in an urban area exploting on drone-mounted, vehicle-mounted and stationary sensors. (NOx, SO2, NH3, CH4, CO, CO2) and black carbon within urban areas, around landfills and seaports with extremely high precision and good spatial resolution.
Quartz tuning forks photodetectors
Quartz tuning forks as a narrow-bandwidth (∼1 Hz), fast-response (tens of kHz), broadband, high-responsivity infrared photodetectors, suitable for tunable laser-based absorption spectroscopy.
PNNR Project BRIEF 2022-2026
In the framework of the PNRR Infrastructure Project “Biorobotics Research and Innovation Engineering Facilities” – BRIEF, the BBC – Breath Biomarkers Chemical identification Laboratory (including a mass spectrometer + Gas chromatography system) and the BIOS2 – Biomarkers Infrared Spectroscopy and Sensing Laboratory will be realized and exploited for Breath Sensing of several pathologies, including Colon and Lung Cancer.
NRRP Project D3-4-Health 2022-2026
In the framework of the National Plan for NRRP Complementary Investments D3-4-Health – ” Digital Driven Diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics for sustainable Health care” project, we will realise optical breath sensing system for pathologies like Metastatic colon cancer, Liver and bile duct cancer and Diabetes type I.
SENSING-ON-DEMAND
Environmental Monitoring
Trace gas sensors are the heart of any monitoring system in industrial and urban areas. Real-time and in-situ QEPAS-based monitoring systems are crucial to ensure an environmentally sustainable territorial development.
Breath Analysis
Exhaled breath biomarkers have particular clinical appeal offering non-invasive medical diagnostics. Dedicated QEPAS sensors can be used as repeatable, continuous and real-time breath analysis tool.
Leaks detection
Gas Leak detection is a critical problem for several applications requiring hermetically closed areas. QEPAS-based leak sensors are several orders of magnitude more sensitive than a bubble test or helium sniffer.
Hydrocarbon monitoring
Portable Quartz enhanced photoacoustic sensors (QEPAS) system are capable to detect in situ methane, ethane, propane and butane in gas phase, with detection limits in the few part-per-million concentration range.
Monitoring of hotspot areas
Certain chemicals can be used in the illicit manufacture of explosives or to cause harm. Quartz enhanced photoacoustic sensors (QEPAS) system are capable to detect toxic gases and explosive precursors down to few part-per-million concentration range.
Polysense Innovations srl
PolySenSe Innovations is a spin-off company of the Polytechnic of Bari, devoted to the development of optical-based sensors, technical training for companies, and to find solution to strategic problems.
Our Team
Vincenzo Luigi Spagnolo
Pietro Patimisco
Angelo Sampaolo
Marilena Giglio
Verena Mackowiak
Hubert Rossmadl
Christian Brehm
Giansergio Menduni
Andrea Zifarelli
Arianna Elefante
Cristoforo Marzocca
LEI DONG
Hongpeng Wu
Huadan Zheng
Michele Di Gioia
Elena Kniazeva
Gabriele Biagi
Kumar Kinjalk
Mariagrazia Olivieri
Raffaele De Palo
Francesco Paciolla
Aldo Cantatore
Luigi Melchiorre
Sun Bo
Valeria Villada
Ivan Preziosa
Latest news
New Publication on Optics and Laser Technology journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Optics & Laser Technology journal reporting on a study of the generation of Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) on quartz upon irradiation with linearly polarized femto-second laser pulses (pulse duration τ = 200 fs and central wavelength λ = 1030 nm). Two different regimes of Leggi di piùNew Publication on Optics and Laser Technology journal[…]
New Publication on Photoacoustics Journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Photoacoustics Journal Elsevier (IF 7.9) reporting on a quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) gas sensor designed for monitoring of ammonia (NH3) at ppb-level concentrations. The sensor is based on a novel custom quartz tuning fork (QTF) with a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser emitting at 9.55 Leggi di piùNew Publication on Photoacoustics Journal[…]
New Publication on Photoacoustics Journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Photoacoustics Journal Elsevier (IF 7.9) reporting on an optical sensor based on light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy for the detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The sensor incorporates a compact multi-pass cell measuring 6 cm × 4 cm × 4 cm and utilizes a quartz Leggi di piùNew Publication on Photoacoustics Journal[…]
New Publication on Photoacoustics Journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Photoacoustics Journal Elsevier (IF 9.94) reporting on a study of the non-radiative relaxation dynamic of 12CH4 and 13CH4 in wet nitrogen-based matrixes by using the quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) technique. We demonstrated that QEPAS measurements can be used to retrieve both the effective relaxation rate Leggi di piùNew Publication on Photoacoustics Journal[…]
New Publication on Photoacoustics Journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Photoacoustics Journal Elsevier (IF 9.94) reporting on a comparison between Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) and Beat Frequency QEPAS (BF-QEPAS) techniques for environmental monitoring of pollutants. Minimum detection limits of 90 ppb and 180 ppb were achieved with QEPAS and BF-QEPAS techniques, respectively, for Nitric Leggi di piùNew Publication on Photoacoustics Journal[…]
New Publication on Photoacoustics Journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Photoacoustics Journal Elsevier (IF 9.94) reporting on the development of a ppb-level mid-IR quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensor for the highly sensitive detection of dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) —the sarin simulant. A minimum detection limit of 6 ppb was achieved at an integration time of 300 ms, Leggi di piùNew Publication on Photoacoustics Journal[…]
New Publication on Advanced Photonics Research
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Advanced Photonics Research journal reporting on a quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor architecture capable ofdetecting eight different air pollutants (CH4,NO2,CO2,N2O, CO, NO, SO2, andNH3) . Each analyte is targeted using the same sensor components (acoustic detection module, quartz-tuning fork, etc.) and a dedicated laser source. Both Leggi di piùNew Publication on Advanced Photonics Research[…]
New Publication on Micromachines
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Micromachines reporting on a theoretical study of the Signal-to-Noise Ratio trend in a voltage-mode read-out of Quartz Tuning Forks (QTFs), mainly focusing on the effects of (i) the noise contributions of both the QTF-equivalent resistor and the input bias resistor RL of the preamplifier, (ii) Leggi di piùNew Publication on Micromachines[…]
New Publication on Optics Letters
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Optics Letters reporting on a side-excitation light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy (SE-LITES) technique for trace gas detection. The mechanical stress distribution on the QTF surface was analyzed to identify the optimum thermoelastic excitation approach. A signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement of more than one order of magnitude was Leggi di piùNew Publication on Optics Letters[…]
New Publication on Photoacoustics Journal
The PolySense team has just published a new article on Photoacoustics Journal Elsevier (IF 9.94) reporting on the development of a gas sensor based on light-induced thermo-elastic spectroscopy (LITES) capable to detect methane (C1) and ethane (C2) in a wide concentration range, from percent down to part-per-billion (ppb). Minimum detection limits of ∼650 ppb and Leggi di piùNew Publication on Photoacoustics Journal[…]