Objective
A reduction of the adhesion of micro-organisms can be proved for all PC-containing polymers in all media and under all conditions.
- None of the tested PC containing polymers is sufficiently pervious to ions;
- Tests for oxygen permeability by means of an electrochemical sensor indicates that there is only a slight delay in reaction to rapid changes of the oxygen concentration;
- The durability of selected coatings in flowing water, at different temperatures and pressures is sufficient;
- The contact of coated surfaces with particle containing flowing water is critical. Dependent on the flow velocity the particles either adsorb only at the surface of the layer or they cause scratches and damage the coating.
These effects destroy the anti-fouling function of the non-toxic layers;
- Biofoul-proof optical fibre sensors for dissolved oxygen monitoring;
- Biofoul-proof optical fibre sensors for pH monitoring;
- Complete material report of uncoated glass and silicone substrates and two different PC coatings from a physico-chemical and morphological point of view;
- Description of on-line adhesion kinetics of various biological systems (e.g. blood plasma, marine suspensions) in contact with all modified material surfaces;
- Development of a new dynamic protein adsorption testing with first findings on uncoated and PC coated material substrates;
- Adaptation of suitable electronic-optical tools (test systems from IROE and UoS) on the IBA bioreactor equipment to check the performance of common and PC-coated sensor heads in contact with simulated biological media of interest;
- Methods of characterizing PC layers on several optical surfaces and in several medias by ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), white light interferometry has been developed and applied;
- It has been found that even thin layers (<1 µm) of PC remains for weeks on sensor surfaces but undergoes rapid short-term and slow long-term changes in refractive index and layers thickness when immersed in liquids. This limits the usability of PC layers for applications where these properties must be taken in account (e.g. ATR-, SPR- and fibre optic evanescent field- sensors, refractometers);
- Fibre optic temperature, pressure, humidity, pH and PAH sensors are protectable by PC and undergo only small changes in sensor characteristics and response time.
PC layers protect sensors and increase the lifetime not only in fouling but in clear medias, too.
Objectives and content
Optical sensors provide many advantages for chemical
sensing in many industrial and medical applications. The
use of such sensors is reduced considerably by the
effects of fouling on the sensing element. Based on
technology developed by one of the consortium partners to
provide biocompatible coatings for applications such as
contact lenses, the project aims to develop the
technology to enhance the capability of different
chemical optical fibre sensing systems. The application
areas for such technology is quite diverse, but is
primarily targeted toward; the water industry, medical
diagnostics and bio-process monitoring.
Through a basic research project the relevant expertise
within European universities and research institutes will
be focused toward the key issues. Two industrial SME's
with interest in future exploitation, one representing
interest in the instrumentation, the other the materials
are directly involved in the development programme.
The work programme will initially, investigate the
materials aspects of the antifouling layers and the
integration of indicator dyes, thereby providing options
for the sensing mechanisms. The materials will be
evaluated using standard laboratory optical equipment and
then introduced to optical fibre based sensors. The
sensor systems with the coatings will be evaluated in a
range of 'foul' media, including seawater and blood.
It is anticipated that the project will lead to an
enhanced technology capability which can with further
development be exploited by European industry.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors optical sensors
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- engineering and technology materials engineering amorphous solids
- natural sciences physical sciences optics fibre optics
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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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.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
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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.
Coordinator
GU9 8QL Farnham
United Kingdom
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.