TY - JOUR A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Moser, Elisabeth A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - A sub-ppbv-level Acetone and Ethanol Quantum Cascade Laser Based Photoacoustic Sensor– Characterization and Multi-Component Spectra Recording in Synthetic Breath JF - Photoacoustics N2 - Trace gas analysis in breath is challenging due to the vast number of different components. We present a highly sensitive quantum cascade laser based photoacoustic setup for breath analysis. Scanning the range between 8263 and 8270 nm with a spectral resolution of 48 pm, we are able to quantify acetone and ethanol within a typical breath matrix containing water and CO2. We photoacoustically acquired spectra within this region of mid-infra-red light and prove that those spectra do not suffer from non-spectral interferences. The purely additive behavior of a breath sample spectrum was verified by comparing it with the independently acquired single component spectra using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. A previously presented simulation approach is improved and an error attribution study is presented. With a 3σ detection limit of 6.5 ppbv in terms of ethanol and 250 pptv regarding acetone, our system is among the best performing presented so far. KW - Acetone KW - Breath analysis KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Quantum cascade laser KW - Spectral simulation Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100473 SN - 2213-5979 N1 - Corresponding author: Jonas Pangerl VL - 30 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Rück, Thomas T1 - Scopes and Limits of Photoacoustic Spectroscopy in Modern Breath Analysis T2 - Breath Analysis N2 - Photoacoustic spectroscopy is a viable tool for trace gas detection in various application fields. In recent years, this technique has been exploited more and more for modern breath analysis as well. Within this chapter, a holistic overview of photoacoustic spectroscopy is presented, while maintaining the relationship to breath analysis. Therefore, a concise description of the fundamentals of photoacoustic spectroscopy is provided. This is essential for understanding the scopes and limits of this outstanding measurement technique being described within this chapter. In the past several different types of photoacoustic measurement setups for trace gas detection have emerged, including different light sources, modulation techniques, and detection schemes. These are described shortly and advantages as well as disadvantages, especially in relation to breath analysis, are highlighted. Though being a promising sensor principle, measurement devices based on photoacoustic spectroscopy are still rare on the sensor market, especially when it comes to trace gas detection in complex gas matrices, e.g., human breath exhale. One main reason is due to possible molecular interactions influencing the relaxational behavior of the analyte altering the sensor signal. Recent results shedding light on the intricate relaxational processes within complex gas matrices are discussed in detail, providing approaches to overcome this issue. Finally, various applications of photoacoustic spectroscopy in breath analysis are described demonstrating the great potential of this technology. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-3-031-18526-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/11663_2022_22 SP - 101 EP - 159 PB - Springer nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Müller-Williams, Jennifer A1 - Lindauer, Matthias A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Comparison of photoacoustic spectroscopy and cavity ring-down spectroscopy for ambient methane monitoring at Hohenpeißenberg JF - Atmospheric Measurement Techniques N2 - With an atmospheric concentration of approximately 2000 parts per billion (ppbV, 10−9), methane (CH4) is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) in the atmosphere after carbon dioxide (CO2). The task of long-term and spatially resolved GHG monitoring to verify whether climate policy actions are effective is becoming more crucial as climate change progresses. In this paper we report the CH4 concentration readings of our photoacoustic (PA) sensor over a 5 d period at Hohenpeißenberg, Germany. As a reference device, a calibrated cavity ring-down spectrometer, Picarro G2301, from the meteorological observatory of the German Weather Service (DWD) was employed. Trace gas measurements with photoacoustic instruments promise to provide low detection limits at comparably low costs. However, PA devices are often susceptible to cross-sensitivities related to fluctuating environmental conditions, e.g. ambient humidity. The obtained results show that for PA sensor systems non-radiative relaxation effects induced by varying humidity are a non-negligible factor. Applying algorithm compensation techniques, which are capable of calculating the influence of non-radiative relaxation effects on the photoacoustic signal, increase the accuracy of the photoacoustic sensor significantly. With an average relative deviation of 1.11 % from the G2301, the photoacoustic sensor shows good agreement with the reference instrument. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4263-2023 SN - 1867-8548 VL - 16 IS - 18 SP - 4263 EP - 4270 PB - Copernicus Publications ER - TY - INPR A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Moser, Elisabeth A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - A Highly Sensitive Acetone and Ethanol Quantum Cascade Laser Based Photoacoustic Sensor: Characterization and Multi-Component Spectra Recording in Synthetic Breath T2 - SSRN Electronic Journal N2 - Trace gas analysis in breath is challenging due to the vast number of different components. We present a highly sensitive quantum cascade laser based photoacoustic setup for breath analysis. Scanning the range between 8260 and 8270 nm with a spectral resolution of 48 pm, we are able to quantify acetone and ethanol within a typical breath matrix containing water and CO2. We photoacoustically acquired spectra within this region of mid-infra-red light and prove that those spectra do not suffer from non-spectral interferences. The purely additive behavior of a breath sample spectrum was verified by comparing it with the independently acquired single component spectra using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. A previously presented simulation approach is improved and an error attribution study is presented. With a 3σ detection limit of 6.5 ppbV in terms of ethanol and 250 pptV regarding acetone, our system is among the best performing presented so far. KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - quantum cascade laser KW - spectral simulation KW - breath analysis KW - acetone Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4305376 PB - Elsevier ER -