An Inexpensive 3D-Printable Do-It-Yourself Visible Spectrophotometer for Online, Hybrid, and Classroom-Based Learning

Abstract

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic compelled the field of education to swiftly redesign courses for hybrid and online teaching environments. The lack of in-person learning prompted professionals to rapidly incorporate unique and previously never-seen teaching practices in numerous different fields. One of the biggest challenges that educators have been facing during these difficult times is the lack of hands-on technologybased teaching activites under hybrid and online environments. To mitigate this issue, a small, affordable, and 3D-printed visible spectrophotometer (SpectroBox) was developed to allow instructors to rapidly create a portable instrument and provide a hands-on learning experience for students. SpectroBox is mainly a do-it-yourself at-home platform specifically designed for rapid implementation; thus, instructors can deploy SpectroBox under various learning environments, such as remote and hybrid practices. Included parts are in a small package and are transportable via standard parcel delivery; consequently, students can get access to these spectrometric units rapidly and easily. In this work, detailed design, schematics, and step-by-step instructions are presented for instructors to easily incorporate this system. The SpectroBox project was implemented and tested during the Fall 2020 semester, and student assessment data indicated that the theoretical and practical aspects of visible spectroscopy were better understood by 67% of students with this hands-on learning exercise. The final learning outcome of this project was a broad skillset possessed by students, including 3D printable object design, spectrometer assembly, principles of optical spectroscopy, exploration of design components, basic electronics, data acquisition and processing. SpectroBox helped students to fully understand the fundamentals of visible spectroscopy and ultimately improved their expertise in the field of spectroscopy.

Portable device for dual detection of fluorescence and absorbance for biosensing or chemical sensing applications

“…To address the problem, several research groups introduced portable fluorescence detectors or absorption spectrometers that can be used outside laboratories [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] . In fact, some of them are commercially available, such as Qubit Fluorometers (Fisher Scientific, USA) or Optizen mini UV–Vis Spectrophotometer (K LAB, Republic of Korea).…”

Iron Quantification in Dietary Supplements using Four Colorimetric Assays

“…In 2020, Kovarik et al reviewed laboratory experiments carried out using digital images obtained using smartphones, desktop scanners, and webcams. Since then, several new laboratory experiments involving digital images have been published. − …”

An Inexpensive 3D Printed Periscope-Type Smartphone-Based Spectrophotometer for Emission, Absorption, and Fluorescence Spectrometry

“…To introduce rigidity, we use a 3D printed housing for the spectrometer, as many schools and other educational institutions have or have access to 3D printers. This makes our design similar to the SpectroBox by Pap, the DualSpec and SpecPhone by Smith and co-workers, and the G-Fresnel smartphone spectrometer by Zhang et al As we intended to have students construct the spectrometer, use their own smartphone to record images, and carry it in between home and school, we stayed away from bulkier designs − and other materials, e.g., MDF . We also intended to expand its use to include fluorescence spectroscopy, as previously applied in noneducationally intended designs of smartphone fluorimeters. − Several other types using fluorescence (smartphone-based) spectrometers are listed in a recent review on smartphone sensing in resource-limited settings .…”