We publish the interview with Professor Vincenzo Guidi, from Terra&Acqua Tech laboratory, who presents the recent patent developed by the 'Environmental Sensing' Research Unit: an innovative sensor.

Professor, what does your latest invention consist of?

The patent, as you mentioned, is basically a sensor capable of detecting gaseous carbon dioxide. It is based on a nanostructured semiconductor material that can be deposited by means of techniques such as screen-printing, spray-coating, spin-coating, dip-coating or a combination of the above on substrates of different nature such as, for example, alumina substrates, flexible plastic substrates.

How did you come up with your idea?

As is well known, carbon dioxide is the climate gas that contributes most to global warming. Databases and climate simulators monitor climate change due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions and simulate future climate change. The average temperature of the planet has risen by about 1.1 °C with sharp peaks in some areas, accelerating major ecosystem transformations and making extreme phenomena (winds, snow, heat waves) increasingly frequent and acute. With the Paris Agreement, countries around the world committed to limit global warming to 2 °C, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this goal, the European Union through the European Green Deal has set new, extremely ambitious energy and climate targets, which require the reduction of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) to 55% by 2030 and to climate neutrality in 2050. In addition, carbon dioxide, besides being a climate-altering gas, can pose a danger to human health. Therefore, CO2 monitoring over a wide range of concentrations is of great interest for the control of outdoor air quality and safety in indoor and confined spaces. Hence the need to increasingly decline my research and that of my team (Barbara Fabbri, Elena Spagnoli, Arianna Rossi), in the field of environmental sensors to defend and support the environment and health.

Currently, most commercial CO2 sensors, based on optical properties, are quite expensive in terms of both production and consumption. Our patented material, whose functionality is based on electrical properties, enables a reduction in both cost and consumption, in accordance with the Internet of Things paradigm. Of its kind, the patented device offers the best performance in terms of sensitivity in the world, making its commercialisation feasible.

What industrial applications can the sensor have?

The sensor can be exploited in various application areas. We are already calibrating a CO2 monitoring unit and will soon be installing it in one of the classrooms of the Science and Technology Centre, so that we can compare the performance of our sensor with that of a commercial device. In addition to monitoring air quality in closed or confined spaces, both private and public, the invention can be exploited in a wide range of sectors: sustainable agriculture, food-packaging, life science incubators, cold storage, transport of food, beverages, fermentation and brewing, ecological measurements such as soil respiration and measurement of CO2 in the environment, even through the implementation of sensors on public transport vehicles. In particular, an atmosphere with controlled CO2 concentrations is crucial in greenhouses for carbonic fertilisation and in packaging for fruit and vegetable preservation.

Which would be the immediate benefits for a company using your patent?

Undoubtedly, the dissemination of these devices will allow for better control of current legislative provisions regarding carbon dioxide monitoring and the consequent mitigation of its effects, at a low cost.

How does this invention fit in with the recent stringent focus on DNSH regulations?

The realisation of the production activities of the invention envisages not to cause significant harm to environmental objectives (so-called 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principle), according to Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852. In fact, the preparation methods of the material subject of the invention have a low environmental impact and the miniaturisation of the devices, together with the modularity of the electronic components, reduces the costs of sensor disposal.

We thank you Professor Guidi for the interesting information he has provided us and w invite any interested companies to contact us for further details at: tecnopolo@unife.it