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Projects

Projects ongoing or just completed

Project acronym: BONAS

Project full title: ”BOmb factories detection by Networks of Advanced Sensors“

Funding: The project is financially supported by the European Commission through the FP7 Program

Topic: detection of IEDs and precursors of explosives

Goal: Development of a network of advanced sensors to localize sites where Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) are produced, by detecting traces of IEDs and precursors on the ground, in the air, and in the water. The network makes use of a range of sensing techniques, from LIDAR, to photo-acoustic spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman, and immune-sensing.

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CANARIO

Project acronym: CANARIO

Project full title: “Chemical warfare Agent aNAlizer based on low cost dual band IR mIcrOsytems”

Funding: The project is financially supported by EDA

Topic: detection and identification of Chemical Agents

Goal: developing a compact point sensor for providing early warning in the presence of Chemical Agents in the air.

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DIRAC

Project acronym: DIRAC

Project full title: “Rapid screening and identification of illegal Drugs by IR Absorption spectroscopy and gas Chromatography “

Funding: The project is financially supported by the European Commission through the FP7 Program

Topic: Detection of illicit substances

Goal: Development of a point sensor to be used by customs and police officers in their daily fight against the trafficking of illicit drugs, suitable in particular to detect and identify amphetamines and their precursors

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MOTOR

Project acronym: MOTOR

Project full title: ”Development of distributed sensors for monitoring and detection of chemical/biological threats“

Funding: The project is financially supported by the Italian Ministry of Defense through the PNRM

Topic: detection of chemical/biological threats

Goal: Development of distributed sensors for homeland security application. The network makes use of two complementary sensing techniques: hollow fiber based IRAS, and opto-chemical chip

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PHOTORODS

Project acronym: PHOTORODS

Project full title: “Photovoltaic cells based on nano-structured CdTe”

Brief: Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) is already established as a prominent conventional solar cell semiconductor material due to its energy gap 1.5 eV with an almost perfect match to the solar spectrum. The aim of this research is to study the use of nano-structured CdTe as the absorbing layer in PV solar cells, and to evaluate the performance and industrial potential of these cells for a spread of PV applications, from low cost to high efficiency thermo-sensitive platforms and devices. It would require an investigation of processes for inexpensive fabrication of large periodic arrays of semiconductor nanostructures that will allow for (a) controlled variations in the size and composition of the nanostructures, (b) encapsulation of the semiconductor nanostructures in a rugged host material, (c) flexibility to use a variety of substrate materials, and (d) compatibility with standard silicon fabrication techniques. Additionally, the same CdTe-based PV nano-structures could be used as efficient imaging flat-panel direct-conversion semiconductor detectors for applications in such diverse fields as nuclear medicine, homeland security, astrophysics, and environmental remediation.

RAMBO

Topic: Rapid air-particle monitoring against biological threats

SDS

Project acronym: SDS

Project full title: ”Smart Dust Sensing (SDS) for stand off detection of trace explosives and chemical agents“

Funding: The project is financially supported by the Italian Ministry of Defense through the PNRM

Topic: stand off detection of chemical agents and explosives

Goal: developing ‘smart targets’ to enhance substantially the performance of a laser based IR system for stand off detection of CWAs and explosives