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10 pages, 1805 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Commercial and Custom Quartz Tuning Forks for Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy: Stability under Humidity Variation

by Diba Ayache, Roman Rousseau, Elena Kniazeva, Julien Charensol, Tarek Seoudi, Michael Bahriz, Fares Gouzi, Vincenzo Spagnolo and Aurore Vicet

Sensors 2023, 23(6), 3135; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23063135 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1264

Abstract

This work investigates the behavior of commercial and custom Quartz tuning forkss (QTF) under humidity variations. The QTFs were placed inside a humidity chamber and the parameters were studied with a setup to record the resonance frequency and quality factor by resonance tracking. [...] Read more.

This work investigates the behavior of commercial and custom Quartz tuning forkss (QTF) under humidity variations. The QTFs were placed inside a humidity chamber and the parameters were studied with a setup to record the resonance frequency and quality factor by resonance tracking. The variations of these parameters that led to a 1% theoretical error on the Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) signal were defined. At a controlled level of humidity, the commercial and custom QTFs present similar results. Therefore, commercial QTFs appear to be a very good candidates for QEPAS as they are also affordable and small. When the humidity increases from 30 to 90 %RH, the variations in the custom QTFs’ parameters remain suitable, while commercial QTFs show unpredictable behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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12 pages, 4671 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Potential of Thin Silicon Nitride Membranes in Fiber-Based Photoacoustic Sensing

by Yorick Konijn, Edcel Salumbides and B. Imran Akca

Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031207 - 20 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1297

Abstract

The detection of methane, a strong greenhouse gas, has increased in importance due to rising emissions, which partly originate from unreported and undetected leaks in oil and gas fields. The gas emitted by these leaks could be detected using an optical fiber-based photoacoustic [...] Read more.

The detection of methane, a strong greenhouse gas, has increased in importance due to rising emissions, which partly originate from unreported and undetected leaks in oil and gas fields. The gas emitted by these leaks could be detected using an optical fiber-based photoacoustic sensor called PAS-WRAP. Here, we investigate the potential of silicon-based membranes as more sensitive microphones in the PAS-WRAP concept. Toward this goal, we built a setup with which the frequency response of the membranes was interrogated by an optical fiber. Multiple mounting mechanisms were tested by adapting commercial interferometry systems (OP1550, ZonaSens, Optics11 B.V.) to our case. Finally, methane detection was attempted using a silicon nitride membrane as a sensor. Our findings show a quality factor of 2.4 at 46 kHz and 33.6 at 168 kHz for a thin silicon nitride membrane. This membrane had a frequency response with a signal-to-background ratio of 1 ± 0.7 at 44 kHz when tested in a vacuum chamber with 4% methane at 0.94 bar. The signal-to-background ratio was not significant for methane detection; however, we believe that the methods and experimental procedures that we used in this work can provide a useful reference for future research into gas trace detection with optical fiber-based photoacoustic spectroscopy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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17 pages, 2968 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recent Progress and Applications of Thermal Lens Spectrometry and Photothermal Beam Deflection Techniques in Environmental Sensing

by Mladen Franko, Leja Goljat, Mingqiang Liu, Hanna Budasheva, Mojca Žorž Furlan and Dorota Korte

Sensors 2023, 23(1), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010472 - 02 Jan 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2270

Abstract

This paper presents recent development and applications of thermal lens microscopy (TLM) and beam deflection spectrometry (BDS) for the analysis of water samples and sea ice. Coupling of TLM detection to a microfluidic system for flow injection analysis (μFIA) enables the detection of [...] Read more.

This paper presents recent development and applications of thermal lens microscopy (TLM) and beam deflection spectrometry (BDS) for the analysis of water samples and sea ice. Coupling of TLM detection to a microfluidic system for flow injection analysis (μFIA) enables the detection of microcystin-LR in waters with a four samples/min throughput (in triplicate injections) and provides an LOD of 0.08 µg/L which is 12-times lower than the MCL for microcystin-LR in water. μFIA-TLM was also applied for the determination of total Fe and Fe(II) in 3 µL samples of synthetic cloudwater. The LODs were found to be 100 nM for Fe(II) and 70 nM for total Fe. The application of µFIA-TLM for the determination of ammonium in water resulted in an LOD of 2.3 µM for injection of a 5 µL sample and TLM detection in a 100 µm deep microfluidic channel. For the determination of iron species in sea ice, the BDS was coupled to a diffusive gradient in the thin film technique (DGT). The 2D distribution of Fe(II) and total Fe on DGT gels provided by the BDS (LOD of 50 nM) reflected the distribution of Fe species in sea ice put in contact with DGT gels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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16 pages, 3807 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flow-Enhanced Photothermal Spectroscopy

by Ulrich Radeschnig, Alexander Bergmann and Benjamin Lang

Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7148; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197148 - 21 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1282

Abstract

Photothermal spectroscopy (PTS) is a promising sensing technique for the measurement of gases and aerosols. PTS systems using a Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) are considered particularly promising owing to their robustness and potential for miniaturization. However, limited information is available on viable procedures for [...] Read more.

Photothermal spectroscopy (PTS) is a promising sensing technique for the measurement of gases and aerosols. PTS systems using a Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) are considered particularly promising owing to their robustness and potential for miniaturization. However, limited information is available on viable procedures for signal improvement through parameter tuning. In our work, we use an FPI-based PTS configuration, in which the excitation laser irradiates the target collinearly to the flowing gas. We demonstrate that the generated thermal wave, and thus the signal intensity, is significantly affected by the ratio between excitation modulation frequency and gas flow velocity towards another. We provide an analytical model that predicts the signal intensity with particular considerations of these two parameter settings and validate the findings experimentally. The results reveal the existence of an optimal working regime, depending on the modulation frequency and flow velocity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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11 pages, 2611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sweep Pulse Excitation Method for Enhancing Photoacoustic Elastic Waves at Different Laser Irradiation Parameters

by Katsuhiro Mikami, Natsumi Sudo, Yuka Okamoto, Takeo Nagura and Daisuke Nakashima

Sensors 2022, 22(13), 5025; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22135025 - 03 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1455

Abstract

Laser remote sensing using a sweep pulse excitation method, in which a laser beam is irradiated at the same repetition frequency as the natural frequency, for enhancing photoacoustic elastic waves through resonance effect has been studied. The sweep pulse excitation method, which is [...] Read more.

Laser remote sensing using a sweep pulse excitation method, in which a laser beam is irradiated at the same repetition frequency as the natural frequency, for enhancing photoacoustic elastic waves through resonance effect has been studied. The sweep pulse excitation method, which is based on the principle of detecting natural frequency fluctuations, such as hammering tests, can detect natural frequencies in the audible sound region with low average laser power and contribute to the convenience and low cost of an installation strength diagnosis of fastening bolts. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of the swept excitation method for optimization by evaluating the dependence of the laser irradiation conditions (pulse width, spot size, and average power) on different metal disc samples. We discovered that the magnitude of the photoacoustic elastic wave is proportional to the absorption of laser power, and the spatiotemporal dynamics can be explained through thermal diffusion phenomena. These findings contribute to the development of laser-sensing technology based on photoacoustic elastic waves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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15 pages, 3819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Titanium and Silicon Dioxide-Coated Fabrics for Management and Tuning of Infrared Radiation

by Ismail Yuce, Suat Canoglu, Sevhan Muge Yukseloglu, Roberto Li Voti, Gianmario Cesarini, Concita Sibilia and Maria Cristina Larciprete

Sensors 2022, 22(10), 3918; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22103918 - 22 May 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2614

Abstract

Far infrared radiation (FIR) is emitted by every body at a given temperature, including the human body. FIR ranging between 4–14 μm is considered useful for cell growth, and the human body emits a maximum of infrared (IR) radiation at the wavelength of [...] Read more.

Far infrared radiation (FIR) is emitted by every body at a given temperature, including the human body. FIR ranging between 4–14 μm is considered useful for cell growth, and the human body emits a maximum of infrared (IR) radiation at the wavelength of approximately 9.3 µm. In the present study, fabrics based on five different raw textiles having the same yarn count as well as the same weaving patterns were designed and created. Some of them were subjected to a coating process. The fabrics to be tested were as follows: coated with TiO₂ nanoparticles, coated with SiO₂ nanoparticles, coated fabric that does not contain bioceramic nanoparticle (BNFC), and non-coated fabrics (NCF). The structural characterization of the resulting samples was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), abrasion tests, and air permeability. Following the structural characterization, the infrared emissivity properties were investigated using infrared thermography as well as attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in the 8–14 IR range. According to the experimental findings, the fabrics coated with TiO₂ and SiO₂ displayed increased infrared emissivity values compared to the uncoated ones. In addition, it was observed that the use of bioceramic powders had no effect on air permeability and abrasion properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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11 pages, 2174 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In-Plane Thermal Diffusivity Measurements of Polyethersulfone Woven Textiles by Infrared Thermography

by Mariacristina Larciprete, Noemi Orazi, Yves-Simon Gloy, Stefano Paoloni, Concita Sibilia and Roberto Li Voti

Sensors 2022, 22(3), 940; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22030940 - 26 Jan 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2083

Abstract

Lock-in thermography was applied to the measurement of the in-plane thermal diffusivity of three polyethersulfone (PES) textiles characterized by different weaving pattern as well as different mass density of interlacing fibers. The experimental results showed that the in-plane thermal diffusivity in each direction [...] Read more.

Lock-in thermography was applied to the measurement of the in-plane thermal diffusivity of three polyethersulfone (PES) textiles characterized by different weaving pattern as well as different mass density of interlacing fibers. The experimental results showed that the in-plane thermal diffusivity in each direction decreased with the increase of the fibers’ linear mass density, thus leading to an anisotropic behavior of the thermal diffusivity in the specimen where PES fibers with different density were interlaced. A new theoretical model for the study of the heat diffusion in textiles was specifically developed and, thereafter, employed for the analysis of the experimental results. As such, our textile model approach, shedding light on the role of different textile and fibers parameters on the resulting thermal diffusivity, paves the way for the development and design of textiles with tailored thermal behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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9 pages, 2837 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optical Excitation of Converging Surface Acoustic Waves in the Gigahertz Range on Silicon

by Andrey Y. Klokov, Vladimir S. Krivobok, Andrey I. Sharkov and Nikolay Y. Frolov

Sensors 2022, 22(3), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22030870 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2041

Abstract

The optical excitation and propagation of converging surface acoustic waves on silicon with orientations (001) and (111) have been experimentally studied. An axicon-assisted formation of an annular irradiated region on the sample surface served as a source for converging surface waves. Surface wave [...] Read more.

The optical excitation and propagation of converging surface acoustic waves on silicon with orientations (001) and (111) have been experimentally studied. An axicon-assisted formation of an annular irradiated region on the sample surface served as a source for converging surface waves. Surface wave patterns at different times were recorded using a Sagnac interferometer with spatial resolution. A study of the field distribution at the focus showed that, in spite of elastic anisotropy, which generally leads to aberrations, the acoustic energy can be concentrated into a spot with dimensions close to the diffraction limit. An asymmetric excitation distribution makes it possible to control the structure of the converged wave field at the focus, providing an effective tool for all-optical diagnostics of the local crystal structure as well as electronic properties of quantum objects embedded in the solid-state matrix. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Prospects in Photothermal and Photoacoustic Techniques for Sensing and Imaging Applications)

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