Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Drug or duplicate?

The technology behind the innovation is called backscattering spectroscopy. It exploits the fact that every chemical substance absorbs an individual amount of infrared light. »If we irradiate a substance with a specific light source, we receive a very characteristic backscattering signal« describes Dr. Ralf Ostendorf, head of the Business Unit »Semiconductor Lasers« at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF in Freiburg.

Miniaturized wavelength tunable μEC-QCL with emission wavelengths in the mid-infrared range and a high scanning frequency up to 1 kHz.

Photo: © Fraunhofer IAF

The mid-infrared spectrum (MIR) is particularly well-suited for an unambiguous identification of substances. Within this spectrum, light has a wavelength of three to 12 micrometers. If molecules are irradiated with this light, they show a characteristic absorption behavior which the QCL measuring system picks up on.

In only a few milliseconds the QCL can be adjusted to individual absorption lines that lie within a broad spectral band. This means that a great deal of information about a substance’s absorption behavior can be detected in a very short time.

»Very precise conclusions are available due to the laser’s high spectral brilliance and the fast wavelength tuning - similar to a human fingerprint« explains Ostendorf. The developed QCL consequently manages to detect even the smallest amounts of a particular substance in real time, which is a significant improvement compared to previous systems.

A mobile measuring system for in-line process monitoring

The miniaturized quantum cascade lasers are being developed by scientists at the Fraunhofer IAF together with colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden. Fraunhofer IAF is working on the laser chips while Fraunhofer IPMS is responsible for an integrated MOEMS scanning grating. The MOEMS scanner allows continuous tuning of the wavelength and thus allows a very fast signal response.

Currently, the project team is making the lasers fit for application in the pharmaceutical industry. The researchers have already used their method to reliably determine the active ingredients of everyday pills for headaches and fever in a laboratory environment. Future application scenarios foresee the technology in the mass production of pharmaceuticals as a real-time control. Already during the production process defective medical preparations could be sorted out.

»Not only is it possible to quickly sort out faulty margins, but also to reliably detect drug plagiarism. A time-consuming and expensive manual control in the laboratory would be obsolete« Ostendorf sums up the added value.

The method was first used in security technology: In the EU project »CHEQUERS«, Fraunhofer IAF developed a portable detector based on quantum cascade lasers which can detect explosive or toxic substances from a safe distance. The Freiburg researchers are currently contacting industry partners in order to further develop their approach. Ostendorf outlines future challenges: »Initial talks have already taken place. In a next step, we want to use our sensors to detect individual substances in a drug mixture«.

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en/events/analytica_2018.html (Fraunhofer IAF at Analytica 2018)
https://www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en/research/optoelectronic-devices.html (Optoelectronic devices)
https://www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en/offers/semiconductor-lasers/mirphab.html (Pilotline for photonic components »MirPhab«)
https://www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en/offers/semiconductor-lasers.html (Semiconductor Lasers)

Laura Hau | Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Festkörperphysik IAF

Im Focus: It’s All in the Mix: Jülich Researchers are Developing Fast-Charging Solid-State Batteries

There are currently great hopes for solid-state batteries. They contain no liquid parts that could leak or catch fire. For this reason, they do not require cooling and are considered to be much safer, more reliable, and longer lasting than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Jülich scientists have now introduced a new concept that allows currents up to ten times greater during charging and discharging than previously described in the literature. The improvement was achieved by a “clever” choice of materials with a focus on consistently good compatibility. All components were made from phosphate compounds, which are well matched both chemically and mechanically.

The low current is considered one of the biggest hurdles in the development of solid-state batteries. It is the reason why the batteries take a relatively long...

Im Focus: Color effects from transparent 3D-printed nanostructures

New design tool automatically creates nanostructure 3D-print templates for user-given colors
Scientists present work at prestigious SIGGRAPH conference

Most of the objects we see are colored by pigments, but using pigments has disadvantages: such colors can fade, industrial pigments are often toxic, and...

Im Focus: Unraveling the nature of 'whistlers' from space in the lab

A new study sheds light on how ultralow frequency radio waves and plasmas interact

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles present new research on a curious cosmic phenomenon known as "whistlers" -- very low frequency packets...

Im Focus: New interactive machine learning tool makes car designs more aerodynamic

Scientists develop first tool to use machine learning methods to compute flow around interactively designable 3D objects. Tool will be presented at this year’s prestigious SIGGRAPH conference.

When engineers or designers want to test the aerodynamic properties of the newly designed shape of a car, airplane, or other object, they would normally model...

Im Focus: Robots as 'pump attendants': TU Graz develops robot-controlled rapid charging system for e-vehicles

Researchers from TU Graz and their industry partners have unveiled a world first: the prototype of a robot-controlled, high-speed combined charging system (CCS) for electric vehicles that enables series charging of cars in various parking positions.

Global demand for electric vehicles is forecast to rise sharply: by 2025, the number of new vehicle registrations is expected to reach 25 million per year....