Open-Source Fluorescence Spectrometer for Noncontact Scientific Research and Education

Abstract

Transforming fluorescence spectrometers into costeffective, portable devices provides the potential for field-based applications in biological, environmental, and clinical research and education. However, the majority of developed spectroscopic technologies continue to require heavy, expensive equipment and trained personnel for operation or do not support multispectral analysis, thereby restricting their use in resource-limited environments. Herein, we report a wireless, portable, cost-effective, opensource fluorescence spectrometer (OpenFS) developed by compactly assembling optical and electronic elements in a 3Dprinted housing. OpenFS outputs an accurate emission spectrum over a wide range of wavelengths and demonstrates greater sensitivity for fluorescence quantification compared to a conventional fluorometer. We demonstrate the functionality of OpenFS as a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based DNA sensor by detecting target DNA molecules with FRET efficiency and prove its utility as an Internet of Things device by performing wireless measurements and spectral analysis on a smartphone with a custom-developed Android application. This portable open-source spectrometer can lead to new opportunities in research and educational fields where fluorescence spectroscopy has not been available because of its cost and size and provides the potential for the development of mobile diagnostics platforms.

Taking School Instrumentation One Step Forward: A Do-It-Yourself Type Spectrophotometer and a Jupyter Notebook That Enable Real Time Spectroscopy during School Lessons

“…Despite the fact that there are two software necessary in order for the spectra acquisition and analysis to be accomplished, time-consuming imaging or laborious data postprocessing is no longer necessary. − ,,,,,,, Overall, the students can easily operate the DIY spectrophotometer, learn its instrumentation, and derive the spectra, almost immediately, and thus, they gain precious time for discussing the chemistry behind them. For the convenience of the users, both the python code and a guidance manual are also provided as Supporting Information.…”

“…The introduction of spectroscopy in schools worldwide faces a significant challenge: the commercially available analytical instruments are relatively expensive. Moreover, even when available, their educational impact is up to a point questionable, since there is always the problem of students viewing them as black boxes. − In order to diminish instrument cost and properly discuss instrumentation in the classroom, the construction of several do-it-yourself (DIY)-type devices has been reported in the past decade, e.g., spectrophotometers, ,− single wavelength spectrophotometers, − fluorometers, ,,,,,,− atomic emission spectrophotometers, polarimeters, nephelometers, and Raman spectrometers, , many of which contain “smart” phones as optical detectors. − Despite the fact that most of them are well built, their main drawback, when the discussion comes to full wavelength scanning, is that they require time-consuming postprocessing of the acquired spectral images, e.g., with ImageJ, Spectral Workbench, or other relative software.…”

A Raspberry Pi Pico Based Low-Cost, Research-Grade, Open-Source Thermal Conductivity Cell Detector for Chemical Laboratory Analysis

“…Fortunately, the development of open-source hardware and software has provided researchers and students with a wealth of powerful tools for conducting experiments that are very beginner-friendly and lower the barrier to engaging in exciting research works. Over the past few years, a large number of open-source hardware and software applications with low costs have been practiced in chemical laboratories. − In the laboratory, many open-source microcontrollers (such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi) are widely used for data acquisition, ,− device control, ,− and analysis ,− because they are cheap, easy to obtain, and beginner-friendly. In 2021, the Raspberry Pi Foundation released a microcontroller called the Raspberry Pi Pico, which is powerful and can be purchased for just 4 US dollars.…”

Multirole 3D-Printed Modular Spectrometer for Various Teaching Spectral Experiments in the Classroom and at Home

“…Besides, to enhance portability and reduce cost, spectrometers based on the camera and software of smartphones have become increasingly popular recently. 15−18 The studies of homemade spectrometers also show the tendency of specialization, like homemade UV− vis spectrometer, 16,19,20 fluorescence spectrometer, 2,21 and even Raman spectrometer. 22−24 Taking an overall view, only a few homemade works can change their working model to measure different spectra specifically in one system; 25−28 however, the majority of them use expensive commercial parts, and typical commercial products often include complicated electronic circuits and optical devices like a "Black box", meaning that it is impenetrable 29 and hard for students to easily comprehend and assemble.…”