Project description
Innovative sensitive compact detector of harmful contaminants in water
Drinking water is one of the most important natural resources on earth. Contaminants such as endocrine disruptors therefore pose a high health risk and can affect humans and animals even at extremely low concentrations. The EU-funded GREENER project aims to develop a ready-to-use, compact and robust spectrometer with extremely high sensitivity for measuring contaminant concentrations in the (sub)ng/L range. The aim is to develop novel single photon sources based on quantum dots and DNA origami and to build more efficient detectors in the near-infrared wavelength range. The modular spectrometer system based on these components will enable water safety monitoring for endocrine disrupting contaminants for (but not limited to) fisheries and aquaponics without additional infrastructure and trained personnel.
Objective
Water is one of the most important natural resources on earth and despite increasingly strict regulations, contamination of water that poses a health risk is still a major problem. In Europe, too, our drinking water is exposed to contaminants such as hormones, which even in extremely low concentrations can have effects on humans and animals and are therefore of interest for water monitoring in the context of nature conservation and also various branches of industry. Our goal in this project is to provide the layperson with a ready-to-use, compact, and robust spectrometer capable of measuring extremely low concentrations in the sub ng/L range.
To this end, the GREENER project aims to develop new, environmentally friendly QDs capable of near-infrared absorption measurements at emission wavelengths as short as 2µm. These will be singulated by the DNA origami method and integrated into an LED layer stack to synthesize a novel kind of single-photon source. Combined with advanced single-photon detectors enabled by new detector materials that do not require expensive cryogenic coolers but rely on simple thermoelectric cooling, a setup for low-loss, low-noise and high-performance spectroscopy for the Vis to NIR range will be developed. The resulting biosensor will subsequently be evaluated for the detection of critical (endocrine disrupting) contaminants in water in fisheries and aquaponics and will enable end-users to monitor water safety and quality on-side without additional infrastructure or trained personnel.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.4 - Digital, Industry and Space
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.4.4 - Advanced Materials
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILIENCE-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
09111 Chemnitz
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.