GREENER · Single Photon source and detector based on novel materials for the detection of endocrine disruptors

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.