Photonic devices for monitoring greenhouse gases and other environmental contaminants in air and water

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Optical sensing methods are rapidly expanding throughout the high-tech endeavor. From automobile LIDARs to measuring the ripeness of fruit, the opportunity for development and growth of optical sensing technologies is enormous. In our work, we seek to employ optical methods for sensing specific compounds of importance to human health and the environment. We will first develop cost-effective, durable, and sensitive systems for detection of methane and CO2, two of the most important greenhouse gases. Accurate and low-cost technologies are needed in urban and rural areas to monitor overall background GHG levels, in order to determine emission sources, allow fast responses, find general trends, evaluate whether environmental commitments are met, and even to appraise new sources of these critically important gases. For water too, there is a need to measure a host of impurities at the levels required by Health Canada, especially on-site in remote and rural communities. But there is currently no simple technology that can actually do all this, and most methods are expensive, time consuming, and require trained laboratory personnel. We will work with industrial collaborators on optical devices that can detect impurities at the sub ppm levels required for most contaminants, while focusing on cost and ease of use for practical deployment. The work will involve experimental methods in optics and laser technologies. The development of light-emitting materials includes nanoparticles (e.g., silicon nanocrystals) and thin films for near and mid-IR lasers and durable multilayer materials for high-reflectivity in the mid-IR including gold nanoparticles in robust high-k dielectrics and metallic-dielectric multilayers. These material properties will be applied to form key components of mid-IR sensor technologies. Microphotonic detection systems also will require design and optimization of mid-IR optical waveguide technologies that could include on-board light sources and detectors. We work with several local companies specializing in environmental sensing and the development of mid-infrared light sources and lasers. The main theme of our work is in optics and photonics - the development of both "macro" and "micro" photonics systems that can be deployed in the near term, in real world environments outside the laboratory. The main technologies are associated with optical emitters and detectors, which need to be sensitive and durable, and in the data analysis methods.