Project Acronym: CSMISC
Full title: Chemical Sensor based on a Miniaturised Infrared Spectrophotometer
Project duration: 30 months
Coordinator: Helia Photonics Ltd
Contact: Mark Bailey
Project website address: n/a
Executive summary
This project builds on use of Infrared (IR) spectroscopy as a powerful tool for sensing and identifying chemicals (solid, liquid, gas) in applications from industrial safety, medicine to food processing. Current systems are expensive (€1,000s), relatively large and power hungry, limiting commercial and consumer uptake.
In this project, unique infrared photonic technology is used to progress a novel solid state chemical sensor, based on a patented Miniaturised IR Spectrophotometer. This has potential to be genuinely disruptive in the €4.1billion global chemical detection market by bringing spectroscopy associated with high-end laser systems into low-cost, high volume gas and liquid detection markets.
The IR photonic technology in this project comprises broadband IR light sources/ detector combinations and unique IR linear variable filters combined with uncooled detector arrays to provide low power consumption spectral discrimination. IR light source/ detector combination is incorporated into a novel patented injection moulded IR reflective optic, ensuring broadband operation and significantly lower cost [€00`s cf €000`s] compared with current bulky, high power consumption transmissive diffractive optics based systems.
A key unmet need in IR photonic chemical sensing and primary aim of this project, is provision of low power consumption solid state optical sensors based on low cost high volume manufacturing technologies. The project combines IR photonic technologies aligned with market trends for portable, fit & forget, long-life, autonomous sensors.
The transnational consortium offers a supply chain to implement new processes and broadband IR light source/detectors through to complete IR photonic based chemical (gas & liquid) sensors.
Final project summary
This project built on use of Infrared (IR) spectroscopy as a powerful tool for the sensing and identification of chemicals (solid, liquid or gas) and as a technique in many applications from industrial safety, medical to food processing. Current systems are expensive (€1,000s), relatively large and power hungry which limits uptake in commercial and consumer applications.
A key unmet need within the infrared photonic based chemical sensing market – and primary aim within this project – was provision of low power consumption solid state optical sensors based on low cost high volume manufacturing technologies. The project brings a combination of IR photonic technologies aligned with market trends requiring portable, fit & forget, long-life, autonomous sensors.
At the outset, the main target of this project was the utilisation of unique infrared (IR) photonic technology to progress a novel solid state chemical sensor based on a patented photonic Miniaturised – Infrared Spectrophotometer. This was potentially disruptive within the €4.1billion global chemical detection (gas & liquid applications and markets) by bringing spectroscopic capabilities of high-end laser systems into the low-cost, high volume gas and liquid detection markets. While it is disappointing that this central aim has not yet been achieved, the project has provided a number of commercial and developmental outputs which offer step changes in lucrative markets.
As a result of the CSMIS project, members of the transnational consortium continue to work together on a variety of new projects: InnovateUK and KTP-funded collaborations. The consortium now provides routes to global markets for UK-fabricated enhanced performance LVFs, for monitoring of milk quality and non-contact thermometry. A further outcome is the advancement of ultra low power consumption methane sensors based on some of the work of UWS which is now part of a commercial project with a US based customer.
For medical application development many additional costs, e.g. for device testing and approval, can easily exceed the financial opportunities of small companies. Sensatronic GmbH and UWS continue to progress the exciting portable breath analysis device featuring simultaneous monitoring of CO2, O2 and flow of exhaled breath. Sensatronics GmbH and UWS continue to work together on Capnography and a for device for breath analysis which offers access to a wide range of lucrative point-of-care applications.
InovaSens continues to progress InovaScan which was advanced during ERANET, and has raised its profile in Europe and MENA for producing gas sensors, chemiresistors and diagnostic tools as a consequence of ERANET. The company has recruited 10 new researchers as a direct result of the ERANET project.
The ERANET ‘CSMIS’ project was a transnational project to combine the interdisciplinary expertise of several partners from science and industry. Considering the costs generated by such a complex project, international funding is the only way for small and medium size companies to gather scientific support and to start developing a new measurement technology. Without international funding a transnational cooperation between research institutions and the industry would almost be impossible for small companies.
This ERANET-funded project has supported important steps to provide economic and sustainability benefits. It is vital that Europe builds infrastructure in the fast-growing, legislatively driven global sensor market. The project has stimulated sectors of the sensor monitoring and control community in Europe and has given participants the opportunities to establish themselves as players in booming global markets. Indeed, the CSMIS project has been assessed as “internationally excellent” in two REF 2021 impact case studies.
