The identification of chemicals or microorganisms and nanoparticles representing a threat to the environment is a major issue worldwide. Air-quality, plant health, food quality play an essential role in human life being directly related to peoples health. Demand for a high-levels of quality and safety make critical the development of methods for rapid non-destructive and effective evaluation of the presence of chemicals and biological contaminants.
R-SET is a project which embraces the exceptional properties of THz radiation alongside the new outbreaking Quantum Cascade Lasers and room-temperature 2D-bolometers for a feasibility study of a prototype advanced portable unit capable of monitoring quickly and remotely multiple substances at once e.g. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and pollutants. The unit will be equipped with an extended library of the targets fingerprint in the (0,1-6)THz that will allow discriminating for the different atmospheric components and their dynamical behaviour.
THz radiation has a high level of discrimination in the rotational and vibrational transitions of molecules and can therefore be used for their identification. THz is sensitive to polar molecules while interacts only weakly with non-polar onces (plastic, ceramic) therefore, THz spectroscopy is of big advantage to monitor through packaging materials. THz is not ionizing thus it is considered safe for the operators and targets. All these can result in a competitive method for the environmental monitoring.
For the feasibility tests we will select experiments where the limitations of the current technical investigations i.e. high selectivity linked to portability and rapidity, lower costs and operationality under extreme condition, are likely overcome by THz technology.
The project will benefit of the SapienzaTerahertz laboratory, founded in 2018 and supported by a large number of Sapienza departments and equipped with state-of-art THz technology.
R-SET: Remote Sensing for the Environment with THz radiation, is a project to support the Research and Development (R&D) activity on THz technology and its strategic application for the Environmental Protection as a whole.
In particular, the outcome of this project involves the development and implementation of THz state-of-the-art technology for a portable and remotely controlled platform dedicated to the monitoring of the: air quality, food, plant health etc, as strongly required by the European and FAO roadmap.
To address the increasing and inter-linked health challenges, while ensuring the biological integrity of the planet, it will be important to strengthen inter-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches that address not only disease prevention but also biodiversity conservation, climate change, and sustainable development overall (Wildlife Conservation Society, 2019). The Sustainable Development Goals in particular Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss provide a unique opportunity to break the silos and to work in a coordinated manner on human, animal and environmental health.
R-SET has the potential to positively contribute to these aspects satisfying the requirements of reliability, expeditiousness, accuracy, consistency, and simplicity dedicated to multidisciplinary applications for quality and safety monitoring and assessment of the Environment.
This project can lead to several patents in the field of non-destructive sensing technology. To this regards it is important to point out that R-SET:
1) can lead to a monitoring unit that can easily be moved and used around for on-field measurements. The portability of the unit is related to its low power consumption and small size dimension. In fact the 2D room-temperature Microbolometer sensor is as big as a Reflex photo-camera and the stand-alone QCL source is about (50x30x30) cm and weight only 8kg. Moreover the optics that will be used are light as they are made of plastic material.
2) the unit can be use in public crowded areas without incurring into safety precaution as THz is non ionising radiation.
3) the unit can supply results in short time e.g. order of magnitude of few minutes
R-SET allows the development of knowledge and competence in the field of non-destructive technologies/metrology imparts a crucial advantage for both the international mobility and career consolidation of the members of the research group.
In particular R-SET project will help the advancement of expertise and transferable competence in the realm of THz spectroscopy & metrology, laser physics, optic etc.
It is also important to point out that R-SET is of great importance also for the medical domain as it has potential for the real-time screening and monitoring of human health for example via the breath; in fact, people with various pathologies compared to healthy people, exhale chemical compounds that can be identified through THz.
Moreover, the study of the THz transmission band will bring great benefit also for the high-data-rate telecommunication domain.