Roadmap on optical sensors

Abstract

Optical sensors and sensing technologies are playing a more and more important role in our modern world. From micro-probes to large devices used in such diverse areas like medical diagnosis, defence, monitoring of industrial and environmental conditions, optics can be used in a variety of ways to achieve compact, low cost, stand-off sensing with extreme sensitivity and selectivity. Actually, the challenges to the design and functioning of an optical sensor for a particular application requires intimate knowledge of the optical, material, and environmental properties that can affect its performance. This roadmap on optical sensors addresses different technologies and application areas. It is constituted by twelve contributions authored by world-leading experts, providing insight into the current state-of-the-art and the challenges their respective fields face. Two articles address the area of optical fibre sensors, encompassing both conventional and specialty optical fibres. Several other articles are dedicated to laser-based sensors, micro- and nano-engineered sensors, whispering-gallery mode and plasmonic sensors. The use of optical sensors in chemical, biological and biomedical areas is discussed in some other papers. Different approaches required to satisfy applications at visible, infrared and THz spectral regions are also discussed.

Hydrogen Production Using Modern Photocatalysts

“…Photocatalysis can be used for/in the following: (i) removal of pharmaceutical residues from treated wastewater streams [16][17][18]; (ii) elimination of air pollutants [19,20]; (iii) in environmental remediation [21,22]; (iv) energy conversion [23][24][25]; (v) chemical synthesis [26,27]. Photocatalysis may also be involved in therapy and photodynamic treatment of cancer, sterilizing surgical instruments, and removal of unwanted fingerprints from sensitive electrical and optical components [28,29]. Moreover, the increasing demand of alternative energy sources and zero-emission economy makes the photocatalysis an emerging method for hydrogen production.…”