Elastomeric tuneable metasurfaces for efficient spectroscopic sensors for plastic detection
National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania ·Romania
About this project
<p>If current production and waste management trends continue, it is projected that roughly 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050. Plastics represent a significant environmental problem: They are for the most part not biodegradable, cause problems for terrestrial and aquatic life, and enter the food chain in the form of microplastics. . <br> Photonic sensors are ideally suited for material sorting due to the spectroscopy technique, which allows for discrimination between different polymer types by illuminating with near infrared electromagnetic fields and measuring absorption. An important development goal is to make such spectroscopy simple, affordable and energy efficient. The ElastoMETA project aims to design and fabricate functional nanostructured surfaces, known as metasurfaces, to meet these goals. These surfaces contain simple subwavelength nano-structures that can shape light which is transmitted through them. Despite their simplicity, they offer a new paradigm for advanced field manipulation due to unprecedented control of phase, polarization, amplitude and dispersion of the electromagnetic fields. The versatility of this approach is evident by the short time during which numerous realizations have been made: e.g. micro-lenses, filters, couplers, emitters and even holograms. With further development, metasurfaces are expected to have several advantages over existing optical sensor technologies for recycling applications (e.g. diffractive optics), in terms of (i) increased efficiency, (ii) relative ease of fabrication, and (iii) enhanced functionality. <br> </p> <p><br> </p>
Bilateral cooperation results
The bilateral relations were strengthened due to the planned activities. All the partners have interacted with each other. The PP and P1 (Norwegian partner) have worked together to develop the optical set-up in both countries, acquiring the same IR camera, and discussing UV- NIL: resists, masks, stamps, and process parameters. The P1 and P2 have interacted together in terms of the etching procedure, as can be seen from the joint papers. There were multiple meetings between the PP, P1, and P2 in terms of fabrication processes. Also, the P1 and P3 have interacted in terms of simulations and finally, all the partners have interacted especially for the IR thermal emitters. The project was a continuous interaction between the partners. The bilateral relationship is demonstrated by the new Water4all project, involving the PP, P1, and P2 teams. However, the lower funding for Romania excluded the P3 partner. Overall, the project has facilitated equal working conditions for Romanian and Norwegian partners.
Project partners
- SINTEF AS Donor project partner· Norway
- University of Bucharest Project partner· Romania
- IMT Bucharest Project partner· Romania