Fiber Optic Technologies For A Centralized H2 Sensing Platform - H2OPTICS
Graphenea is part of the Spanish national project "Fiber Optic Technologies for a Centralized H2 Sensing Platform - H2OPTICS", led by Airbus. The aim of this project is to develop different photonic technologies necessary to manufacture systems for fuel level control and monitoring, as well as prevention and detection of leaks for hydrogen applications within the aerospace sector. As part of the drive to develop hydrogen-fuelled airplanes, the project consortium is working on photonics-enabled safety devices. Graphenea's role will be to provide two optoelectronic components that will be integrated into these control and monitoring systems.
The safety devices under development will use photonic technologies to detect ultraviolet radiation related to combustion of hydrogen. In collaboration with CalSens, a spin-off of the Universitat Politècnica de València, Graphenea is developing two devices. One is a resonant cavity with graphene-based electrooptical modulation, and the other is a hybrid quantum dot/graphene ultraviolet photodetector with improved sensitivity.
Image of graphene modulator. Reproduced from K. Y. Lau et al, Nanoscale 2021, 13, 9873-9880, under CC 3.0 license.
The resonant cavity device will make use of the tuneable absorption of graphene, utilizing small electrical signals to change the optical properties of graphene that forms part of an optical cavity. Such an effect was used previously to switch laser cavities on and off resonance. Hybrid quantum dot/graphene photodetectors were shown to have ultrahigh gain, for extreme sensitivity.
This project has been funded by CDTI, under the ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain, under file number PTAG-20221003 through the 2022 call for proposals for the granting of aid for Sectoral Strategic Business Innovation Initiatives ("Aeronautical Technological Program"), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (financed by Next Generation EU funds, including the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism) and the State Program to Catalyze Innovation and Business Leadership of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2021-2023.
