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Optical Sensing for Environmental Monitoring—2nd Edition

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 4432

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 7GJ, UK
Interests: leakage detection; optical fibre-based sensors; robots; hollow core photonic crystal fibres; biosensors and instrumentation; environmental sensing and monitoring; clean technology
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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB107GJ, UK
Interests: nanomaterials; graphene and graphene-based compounds; energy storage devices; 2D materials; functional materials; sensors; environmental and pharmaceutical devices
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Guest Editor
Senior Analytical Chemist, The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK
Interests: in development of analytical methodologies and assessments of organic and inorganic contaminants in different environmental compartments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of our Sensors Special Issue entitled “Optical Sensing for Environmental Monitoring”, we would like to once again invite our colleagues from across the world to contribute their expertise, insights, and findings in the form of original research articles and reviews for the second edition of the Special Issue, entitled “Optical Sensing for Environmental Monitoring-2nd Edition”.

Environmental monitoring has become essential for human sustainability and for the efficient and safe use of environmental resources. It plays a vital role in pollution mitigation, the preservation of biodiversity, and providing data for assessing the impacts of climate change. Environmental monitoring typically involves sampling and analyzing data with the help of sophisticated instruments to characterize and monitor the quality of the environment (air/water/soil). However, this usually involves sample collection, transport, storage and off-site analysis, which may not be cost-effective and may alter sample characteristics. The use of sensors is fast gaining traction because of their ability for in situ monitoring and rapid transmission of real-time data. Various types of sensors can be used for environmental monitoring, based on optical and spectroscopic (fluorescence, Raman, and IR) techniques. Typical detection may involve the monitoring of environmental changes in the ocean, atmosphere, or nuclear/industrial facilities under harsh conditions (e.g., subsea pipelines) in both the temporal and spatial domains. This may be carried out remotely, involving multiple parameters. Optical or optical fiber-based sensors are emerging as potential for environmental monitoring. Optical fibers have advantages like smaller size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, freedom from corrosion, chemical inertness and large bandwidth, which can accommodate the growing needs of sensing and monitoring in challenging environments.

Current trends in environmental sensor development are to realize in-situ-type, smaller, easy-to-use, and rapid sensors with “smart” capabilities. Future sensors are expected to have high sensitivity and selectivity with real-time monitoring or multi-analyte detection capability based on the “lab-on-a-chip” principle. This can simplify the analysis, reduce the cost, and extend reliable monitoring outside the central laboratory. Optical biosensors based on bio-affinity molecules can provide very good sensitivity and selectivity for monitoring. Sensor arrays or CCD-based imaging can be implemented for monitoring various spatial locations or multi-parameter sensing. Again, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based approaches are being integrated for simplifying sensor data or image analysis. This Special Issue will include featured research articles on environmental monitoring based on optical techniques.

Prof. Dr. Radhakrishna Prabhu
Dr. Carlos Fernandez
Dr. Sandhya Devalla
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2845 KiB  
Article
Detection and Quantification of DNA by Fluorophore-Induced Plasmonic Current: A Novel Sensing Approach
by Daniel R. Pierce, Zach Nichols, Clifton Cunningham, Sean Avryl Villaver, Abdullah Bajwah, Samuel Oluwarotimi, Herbert Halaa and Chris D. Geddes
Sensors 2024, 24(24), 7985; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24247985 - 14 Dec 2024
Viewed by 710
Abstract
We report on the detection and quantification of aqueous DNA by a fluorophore-induced plasmonic current (FIPC) sensing method. FIPC is a mechanism described by our group in the literature where a fluorophore in close proximity to a plasmonically active metal nanoparticle film (MNF) [...] Read more.
We report on the detection and quantification of aqueous DNA by a fluorophore-induced plasmonic current (FIPC) sensing method. FIPC is a mechanism described by our group in the literature where a fluorophore in close proximity to a plasmonically active metal nanoparticle film (MNF) is able to couple with it, when in an excited state. This coupling produces enhanced fluorescent intensity from the fluorophore–MNF complex, and if conditions are met, a current is generated in the film that is intrinsically linked to the properties of the fluorophore in the complex. The magnitude of this induced current is related to the spectral properties of the film, the overlap between these film properties and those of the fluorophore, the spacing between the nanoparticles in the film, the excitation wavelength, and the polarization of the excitation source. Recent literature has shown that the FIPC system is ideal for aqueous ion sensing using turn-on fluorescent probes, and in this paper, we subsequently examine if it is possible to detect aqueous DNA also via a turn-on fluorescent probe, as well as other commercially available DNA detection strategies. We report the effects of DNA concentration, probe concentration, and probe characteristics on the development of an FIPC assay for the detection of non-specific DNA in aqueous solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Sensing for Environmental Monitoring—2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 5721 KiB  
Article
Covalently Modified Molecular-Recognition-Capable UV-Transparent Microplate for Ultra-High-Throughput Screening of Dissolved Zn2+ and Pb2+
by Bálint Árpád Ádám, Bálint Kis-Tót, Bálint Jávor, Szabolcs László, Panna Vezse, Péter Huszthy, Tünde Tóth and Ádám Golcs
Sensors 2024, 24(14), 4529; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24144529 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1306
Abstract
Zn2+ has a crucial role both in biology and the environment, while Pb2+ presents serious hazards in the same areas due to its toxicity, and the need for their analysis often exceeds available instrumental capacity. We report, herein, a new high-throughput [...] Read more.
Zn2+ has a crucial role both in biology and the environment, while Pb2+ presents serious hazards in the same areas due to its toxicity, and the need for their analysis often exceeds available instrumental capacity. We report, herein, a new high-throughput optochemical screening method for Zn2+ and Pb2+ in various solutions. Moreover, we also introduced a new and generalizable three-step-microplate-modification technique, including plasma treating, linker-docking and photocatalytic copolymerization. The surface of a commercially available 96-well-cycloolefin-microplate was treated with atmospheric plasma, and then, the bottoms of the wells were covered by covalently attaching a methacrylate-containing linker-monolayer. Finally, the preactivated microplate wells were covalently functionalized by immobilizing bis(acridino)-crown ether-type sensor molecules, via photocatalytic copolymerization, to a polymethacrylate backbone. This sensing tool can be used in all microplate readers, is compatible with liquid handling platforms and provides an unprecedently fast monitoring (>1000 samples/hour, extrapolated from the time required for 96 measurements) of dissolved Zn2+ and Pb2+ among recent alternatives above the detection limits of 8.0 × 10−9 and 3.0 × 10−8 mol/L, respectively, while requiring a sample volume of only 20 µL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Sensing for Environmental Monitoring—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 8287 KiB  
Article
Vertical Distribution Mapping for Methane Fugitive Emissions Using Laser Path-Integral Sensing in Non-Cooperative Open Paths
by Di Wang, Yushuang Li, Yu Pu, Yan Lv, Mingji Wang, Hui Yang, Xuefeng Zhao and Dong Li
Sensors 2024, 24(4), 1307; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24041307 - 18 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1766
Abstract
Observing the vertical diffusion distribution of methane fugitive emissions from oil/gas facilities is significant for predicting the pollutant’s spatiotemporal transport and quantifying the random emission sources. A method is proposed for methane’s vertical distribution mapping by combining the laser path-integral sensing in non-non-cooperative [...] Read more.
Observing the vertical diffusion distribution of methane fugitive emissions from oil/gas facilities is significant for predicting the pollutant’s spatiotemporal transport and quantifying the random emission sources. A method is proposed for methane’s vertical distribution mapping by combining the laser path-integral sensing in non-non-cooperative open paths and the computer-assisted tomography (CAT) techniques. It uses a vertical-plume-mapping optical path configuration and adapts the developed dynamic relaxation and simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (DR-SART) into methane-emission-distribution reconstruction. A self-made miniaturized TDLAS telemetry sensor provides a reliable path to integral concentration information in non-non-cooperative open paths, with Allan variance analysis yielding a 3.59 ppm·m sensitivity. We employed a six-indexes system for the reconstruction performance analysis of four potential optical path-projection configurations and conducted the corresponding validation experiment. The results have shown that that of multiple fan-beams combined with parallel-beam modes (MFPM) is better than the other optical path-projection configurations, and its reconstruction similarity coefficient (ε) is at least 22.4% higher. For the different methane gas bag-layout schemes, the reconstruction errors of maximum concentration (γm) are consistently around 0.05, with the positional errors of maximum concentration (δ) falling within the range of 0.01 to 0.025. Moreover, considering the trade-off between scanning duration and reconstruction accuracy, it is recommended to appropriately extend the sensor measurement time on a single optical path to mitigate the impact of mechanical vibrations induced by scanning motion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Sensing for Environmental Monitoring—2nd Edition)
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