Advanced sensors

Macro-area: Technologies for monitoring and sharing data on air pollution

Advanced sensors

Macro-area: Technologies for monitoring and sharing data on air pollution

Advanced sensors

Macro-area: Technologies for monitoring and sharing data on air pollution

High performance sensors and sensor systems for monitoring air quality and the environment

Area Skills

The need to have data to support European directives, international treaties and programs on air and environmental pollution, together with the need to reduce investment and operating costs of observation sites located in remote and difficult to access locations, have made it essential to carry out studies aimed at developing efficient and low energy consumption monitoring devices. These characteristics are often achieved using nenotechnologies.

In this context, the Area's innovative research activities are grouped into:

development and application of nanotechnologies for the controlled fabrication of nanostructured materials for high sensitivity sensors (eg, electrospinning, dipping, self-assembling, electrochemical growth and immobilization) and in situ functionalization systems;
selection of materials and development procedures according to the principles of sustainability;
design and manufacture of chemical and biological sensors, developed on both conventional and flexible substrates;
design and development of sensors in platforms and networks inspired by natural sensory systems (bioinspired) for the monitoring of complex environmental matrices and definition of qualitative indices;
design and development of electronic interfaces for sensors

These activities are distributed in three laboratories:

Sensors Laboratory: Characterization and Measurements (contact person A. Bearzotti);
Prototyping and electronics laboratory for sensors (contact person E. Zampetti;
Multifunctional Nanomaterials design and development laboratory (contact person A. Macagnano).

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Area contact person: Antonella Macagnano

Design and development of nanostructured sensors and multiparameter sensor devices for real time and in-situ monitoring of toxic gaseous and particulate air pollutants.

The progress achieved thanks to the developments in nanotechnology and microelectronics have made it possible to study and develop sensors with high performances in terms of sensitivity, response times and selectivity for monitoring air quality (gases such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, ozone , Volatile and semi-volatile compound GHGs, dust), soil and water (mercury, pesticides, PAHs, POPs microorganisms etc.).

The main activities of this topic are included in international (ie European Cooperation in Science and Technology MP1206, MP1205, TD1105, Horizon 2020, ESA, UNEP, etc.) and national activities.

Research area capacity

Currently (February 2021), the Research Area on Advanced Sensors is made up of 3 Researchers (III level, ti), 1 AdR and 1 CTER. They are also an integral part of the Area as type B associates, 2 full professors of the University of Tor Vergata in Rome (from the departments of Electronic Engineering and Chemical Sciences and Technologies respectively), 1 Researcher of the University of Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo (Department for Innovation in Biological, Agri-food and Forestry Systems) and N.1 Senior Researcher INAF - Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, Rome.