TY - JOUR A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Characterizing a sensitive compact mid-infrared photoacoustic sensor for methane, ethane and acetylene detection considering changing ambient parameters and bulk composition (N2, O2 and H2O) JF - Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical N2 - We present a sensitive and compact interband cascade laser (ICL) based photoacoustic setup for the detection of gaseous hydrocarbons and discuss its applicability towards trace gas analysis. We investigated the performance of the sensor for trace concentrations of methane, ethane and acetylene diluted in nitrogen. The excitation of methane and ethane was accomplished using one tunable diode laser, covering a range from 3360 to 3372 nm, which was replaced by a separate ICL at 3025 nm for acetylene detection. The influence of ambient parameters such as temperature, flow rate and pressure as well as potential cross-sensitivities towards O2 and H2O have been examined in terms of methane and acetylene detection. A series of simulations proved several of these influences to be attributed to relaxation effects. With a 3σ limit of detection (LoD) of 6.8 parts per billion (ppbV) in case of methane, 2.3 ppbV regarding ethane and 3.6 ppbV in terms of acetylene, the sensor demonstrates a great potential for applications in the field of trace gas analysis. KW - Acetylene KW - Cross-sensitivities KW - Ethane KW - Interband cascade laser KW - Methane KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Relaxation effects Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-25868 N1 - Corresponding author: Jonas Pangerl VL - 352,1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Escher, Lukas A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Photodissociation-Driven Photoacoustic Spectroscopy with UV-LEDs for Ozone Detection JF - Photoacoustics N2 - This study presents the development and evaluation of a UV-LED based photoacoustic (PA) measurement system for ozone (O3) detection to demonstrate its potential for low-cost and accurate sensing while for the first time addressing the importance of photodissociation for PA signal generation for O3 in the UV range. With a detection limit of 7.9 ppbV, the system exhibits a significant advancement over state-of-the-art UV-PA O3 detection and is on par with laser-based setups. Following a novel discussion of the PA signal arising from photodissociation and its products, cross-sensitivity effects due to environmental factors such as temperature and gas composition were systematically analyzed. A digital twin driven compensation for these influences was implemented and evaluated. Despite the challenges associated with modeling the effects of H2O and CO2, the PA system shows considerable potential, though further studies in real world applications must be conducted. KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - UV-LED KW - Ozone KW - Photodissociation KW - Cross-sensitivity Y1 - 2025 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-80076 SN - 2213-5979 N1 - Corresponding author der OTH Regensburg: Lukas Escher VL - 43 PB - Elsevier BV ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Holzner, Lukas A1 - Ehrnsperger, Matthias A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Evaluation of the creep strength of samples produced by fused deposition modeling JF - Open Engineering N2 - Data sheets for 3D printing materials typically include softening temperature, impact strength, tensile strength, and stiffness. However, creep strength, an important parameter for components used over an extended period, is usually not included. Nevertheless, this parameter is of significant importance for components that are used over an extended period of time.This study compares the long-term creep behavior of a selection of materials that are commonly used in fused deposition modeling 3D printing. The materials under investigation are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, polylactic acid, and polycarbonate. In addition, the influence of fiber reinforcements on these materials is also examined. A simple, reproducible test procedure is proposed for users to determine and compare creep resistance of materials. This enables developers to select materials suitable for their own requirements on creep resistance and allows 3D-printing users to compare different materials. Results suggest that fiber reinforcement generally improves creep stability in 3D-printing materials, with GreenTEC Pro Carbon and add:north PC Blend HT LCF showing the most promise in this study. Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-79760 N1 - Corresponding author der OTH Regensburg: Peter Hausler VL - 14 IS - 1 PB - de Gruyter ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reinker, Lukas A1 - Bläsing, Dominic A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Ulbricht, Sabina A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Correlation of Acceleration Curves in Gravitational Direction for Different Body Segments during High-Impact Jumping Exercises JF - sensors N2 - Osteoporosis is a common disease of old age. However, in many cases, it can be very well prevented and counteracted with physical activity, especially high-impact exercises. Wearables have the potential to provide data that can help with continuous monitoring of patients during therapy phases or preventive exercise programs in everyday life. This study aimed to determine the accuracy and reliability of measured acceleration data at different body positions compared to accelerations at the pelvis during different jumping exercises. Accelerations at the hips have been investigated in previous studies with regard to osteoporosis prevention. Data were collected using an IMU-based motion capture system (Xsens) consisting of 17 sensors. Forty-nine subjects were included in this study. The analysis shows the correlation between impacts and the corresponding drop height, which are dependent on the respective exercise. Very high correlations (0.83–0.94) were found between accelerations at the pelvis and the other measured segments at the upper body. The foot sensors provided very weak correlations (0.20–0.27). Accelerations measured at the pelvis during jumping exercises can be tracked very well on the upper body and upper extremities, including locations where smart devices are typically worn, which gives possibilities for remote and continuous monitoring of programs. KW - osteoporosis KW - inertial measurement units KW - wearable motion-tracking sensors KW - high-impact exercisess Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-58217 N1 - Corresponding author: Lukas Reinker N1 - This work was supported by the Bavarian Academic Forum [BayWISS-Verbundkolleg Gesundheit] and the DHZK fond for behavioral cardiovascular diseases [Behaviorale kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen; grand number: 81Z0400105]. VL - 23 IS - 4 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Feldmeier, Florian A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Photoacoustic detection of acetone in N2 and synthetic air using a high power UV LED JF - Sensors Actuators B Chemical N2 - The performance of a photoacoustic trace gas sensor for the detection of acetone in N2 and synthetic air is reported. The sensor system utilises an amplitude modulated UV LED. The light source has an emission maximum at 278 nm and a maximum CW output power of 300 mW according to the datasheet. Three different collimating and focusing approaches have been investigated to guide the highly divergent LED light into the acoustic resonator of the photoacoustic measurement cell. A 3D printed aluminium cell was designed to optimize light coupling by simultaneously minimizing the photoacoustic background signal generation. Hence, the diameter of the resonator was set to a comparable large diameter of 10 mm and the inner walls of the resonator were mirror polished. The additive manufacturing procedure allowed for integration of a spirally formed gas channel, enabling gas heating prior to detection. The sensor performance was investigated by measuring acetone in N2 and synthetic air at different concentrations. The UV LED current was set to 86 % of the maximum value according to the datasheet of the light source in order to increase the lifetime and thermal stability. An Allan-Werle deviation analysis validates a stable sensor performance. The limit of detection (LoD) was determined at a 3σ noise level with a 10 s lock-in amplifier time constant by sampling data points over 20 s with a data acquisition rate of 5 Hz. LoDs of 80.8 ppbV and 19.6 ppbV were obtained for acetone in N2 and synthetic air, respectively. KW - Acetone detection KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - High power UV LED KW - UV LED collimation system KW - Acetone breath analysis Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.128109 N1 - Corresponding author at: Sensorik-Applikationszentrum (SappZ) der Ostbayerischen Technischen Hochschule Regensburg VL - 316 IS - August SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Wittmann, Elisabeth A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Effects of ambient parameters and cross-sensitivities from O2, CO2 and H2O on the photoacoustic detection of acetone in the UV region JF - Sensors Actuators B Chemical N2 - We present a sensitive UV LED photoacoustic setup for the detection of gaseous acetone and discuss its applicability towards breath analysis. We investigated the performance of the sensor for low acetone concentrations down to 0.1 parts per million (ppmV). The influences of temperature, flow, pressure, optical power and LED duty cycle on the measured signal have been examined. To gain a better understanding of the different effects on the photoacoustic signal, correlation analysis was applied and feature importance was determined using a large measured dataset. Furthermore, the cross-sensitivities towards O2, CO2 and H2O have been studied extensively. Finally, the sensor’s performance to detect acetone between 0.1–1 ppmV within gas mixtures simulating breath exhale conditions has been investigated, too. With a limit of detection (LoD) of 12.5 parts per billion (ppbV) (3σ) measured under typical breath exhale gas mixture conditions, the sensor demonstrated a high potential for the application of acetone detection in human breath analysis. KW - Acetone detection KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - High power UV LED KW - Cross-sensitivities KW - Acetone breath analysis Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.129001 SN - 0925-4005 N1 - Corresponding authors: Stefan Weigl, Elisabeth Wittmann, Thomas Rück, Rudolf Bierl, Frank-Michael Matysik N1 - Corrigendum to “Effects of ambient parameters and cross-sensitivities from O2, CO2 and H2O on the photoacoustic detection of acetone in the UV region” [Sens. Actuators B: Chem. 328 (February 2021) (2020) 129001]; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.129392 IS - 328 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - NO2 trace gas monitoring in air using off-beam quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) and interference studies towards CO2, H2O and acoustic noise JF - Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical N2 - We present the development and characterization as well as comprehensive interference studies of a photoacoustic NO2 trace gas detection system. The system is based on an off-beam quartz enhanced photoacoustic scheme (off-beam QEPAS) and signal generation was initiated by amplitude modulating a low-cost diode laser emitting at 450 nm. The QEPAS sensor element features double-resonant amplification, still it is only ∼ 5 × 5 × 2.5 mm in size. The individual and combined resonance characteristics were investigated and specified to 52 dB amplification, adding up 15 dB acoustic- and 37 dB mechanical-resonance amplification. The linearity of the photoacoustic signal dependency on the analyte concentration was verified from 200 ppbV to 100 ppmV NO2 in synthetic air. The detection limit (3σ) was determined to 1.8 ppbV using a lock-in time constant of 10 s and an averaging time of 20 s. The normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient was specified to 2.5·10−8 W cm−1 Hz−0.5. The stability of the signal was investigated over time and a slight drift by 1‰ was observed after 30 min without temperature stabilizing the photoacoustic cell (PAC). Noise analysis was performed by means of Allan deviation and the inverse dependency of response time and precision of the system on the lock-in time constant was outlined. We performed interference analyses towards N2, O2, CO2, H2O and acoustic noise, respectively. Although neither spectral interferences nor losses due to slow NO2 VT-relaxation were observed, O2 was identified to cause a 15% signal drop due to VVNO2-O2-relaxation. Changing H2O concentrations were found to cause acoustic detuning, which cannot be compensated by adjusting the frequency of modulation, because of the double-resonant feature of the PAC. However, alternative approaches of compensation were discussed. Finally, we carried out heavy traffic noise simulations and determined the QEPAS setup to be 46 times less susceptible towards ambient noise compared to standard microphone-based photoacoustic setups. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2017.09.039 VL - 255 IS - Part 3, February SP - 2462 EP - 2471 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Development and characterization of a laboratory setup for photoacoustic NO2 determination based on the excitation of electronic 2B2 and 2B1 states using a low-cost semiconductor laser JF - Sensors and Actuators A: Physical N2 - This work gives a detailed characterization of a laboratory setup for photoacoustic NO2 trace gas detection at the ppb level. The signal generation is based on the excitation of electronic 2B2 and 2B1 states using a low-cost semiconductor laser emitting at 450 nm. An acoustic resonator was used for signal amplification and the modulation frequency of the laser was determined to 3395 Hz in order to gain maximum signal amplification. The quality of resonant amplification was determined to 7.9. The gas samples were NO2 calibration gases diluted with pure nitrogen. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) dependency on the flow rate Q and the lock-in time constant τLIA was investigated, respectively, and the optimum values were specified to Q = 500 mL/min and τLIA = 2 s. In case of ambient noise, increasing τLIA to 10 s was evaluated as sufficient for SNR preservation. The noise level was measured in the absence of NO2 and it was determined to be composed of 51% electronic noise and 49% gas flow noise. With the analyte concentration ranging from 300 ppbV to 100 ppmV, the linear dependency of the photoacoustic amplitude on the NO2 concentration was specified, the sensitivity was determined to 110 μV/ppmV and the maximum measurement error was calculated to ±0.8%. The detection limit was determined to 2.0 ppbV. Furthermore, the stability of the signal was investigated and a maximum drift of ±1% was observed within a measuring period of 30 min. The response time τ90 was specified to 58 s. All results considered, this photoacoustic measuring system, which is based on low-cost signal generation and detection units, provides an excellent basis in view of developing a portable device for photoacoustic trace gas detection. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2017.03.024 VL - 258 SP - 193 EP - 200 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam, Niederlande ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Low-cost photoacoustic NO2 trace gas monitoring at the pptV-level JF - Sensors and Actuators A: Physical N2 - We present the development and the characterization of a photoacoustic NO2 trace gas detection system. The system is based on the implementation of low-cost components, i.e. a mass-produced blue diode laser and a standard MEMS microphone which is commonly built into smartphones, for example. An optimized cell design was realized by means of 3D printing. The linearity of the photoacoustic signal dependency on the analyte concentration was verified from 200 ppbV to 100 ppmV NO2. The detection limit (1σ) was determined to 33 pptV and the normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient was calculated to 7.0 ∙ 10−10 W cm−1 Hz−1/2. The dynamic range of the system was verified to be linear over three magnitudes of order and the sensitivity was calculated to 814 μV/ppmV. The system was characterized in view of optimal operating parameters, i.e. lock-in time constant τLIA and total mass flow rate, optical performance and signal stability. The mass flow dependend response time of the system was specified to 19 s and an idealized step response to a quasi-Heaviside step function was quantified as a function of τLIA. The quality factor of acoustic resonance was determined to 21.9 and an empirical expression regarding acoustic node shifting is provided. The expression takes into account the radius of the resonator pipe and the radius of the hole, which was drilled into the pipe for microphone coupling. Furthermore, we studied the cross-sensitivity of the photoacoustic signal towards H2O and CO2, respectively. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2017.06.036 VL - 263 SP - 501 EP - 509 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam, Niederlande ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van der Weerd, Bastiaan A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Trends in Electrochemical Sensing of Blood Gases JF - Bioanalytical Reviews N2 - The monitoring of partial pressures of the blood gases carbon dioxide (pCO2) and oxygen (pO2) is of great importance in clinical diagnostics. The measure of pCO2 and pO2 provides essential information about the patient’s metabolism, gas exchange, ventilation, and acid–base homeostasis. The conventional electrochemical methods for clinical blood gas analysis are based on the potentiometric Severinghaus sensor for carbon dioxide and the amperometric Clark sensor for oxygen. These techniques are well established and are only shortly discussed in this overview. However, in recent years a variety of modifications of these classical sensor concepts and new approaches of electrochemical sensing of pCO2 and pO2 have been introduced. This review summarizes recent developments in this field and discusses the potential for future applications in clinical blood gas analysis. KW - Blood gas analysis KW - Noninvasive blood gas sensor KW - Electrochemical sensor KW - Clinical analysis Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/11663_2016_1 VL - 6 SP - 263 EP - 280 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zagler, Andreas A1 - Landgraf, Ferdinand A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Entwicklung eines mikromechanischen kapazitiven Schalldetektors im resonanten Betrieb für die photoakustische Spurengasanalyse JF - 7. MikroSystemTechnik Kongress "MEMS, Mikroelektronik, Systeme", 23.-25. Oktober 2017, München Y1 - 2017 PB - VDE-Verlag CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Romano, Marco A1 - Micklitz, Matthias A1 - Olbrich, Florian A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Ehrlich, Ingo A1 - Gebbeken, Norbert T1 - Experimental investigation of damping properties of unidirectionally and fabric reinforced plastics by the free decay method JF - Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering N2 - Purpose: of this paper is experimental investigation of damping properties of unidirectionally and fabric reinforced plastics by the free decay method. Design/methodology/approach: For the evaluation of the presumed effect experimental structural dynamic investigations comparing unidirectionally and fabric reinforced plastics are carried out. In detail the free decay behaviour of flat beamlike specimens under fixed-free boundary conditions and relatively constant and reproducible displacement excitation is investigated. Findings: The vibrating structure has been measured by a laser scanning vibrometer PSV 400 from POLYTEC. In both cases evaluation of the results yields enhanced damping properties of the specimens with fabric reinforcement compared to the unidirectionally reinforced specimens. The results justify the presumed acting of a mesomechanic kinematic. Research limitations/implications: The results show that in either case the material damping in terms of the logarithmic decrement of the fabric reinforced material is higher than the material damping in of the unidirectionally reinforced material. Additionally, when the fabric reinforced specimens are addressed, in each case the plain weave reinforced specimens exhibited higher values of the material damping as the twill weave 2/2 reinforced ones. Originality/value: Ondulations in fabrics as a textile semi-finished product are caused by the alternating crossing of warp and fill yarns. In the mesoscopic scale the acting of a mesomechanic kinematic is presumed to enhance the damping properties under cyclic elastic deformation. For the evaluation of the presumed effect experimental structural dynamic investigations comparing unidirectionally and fabric reinforced plastics are carried out. KW - structural vibration KW - damping KW - fibre reinforced plastics KW - mesomechanic scale KW - fabric reinforced layer Y1 - 2014 VL - 63 IS - 2 SP - 65 EP - 80 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wunderlich, Lukas A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Maerkl, Susanne A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Hirsch, Thomas T1 - Nanoparticle Determination in Water by LED-Excited Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging JF - Chemosensors N2 - The increasing popularity of nanoparticles in many applications has led to the fact that these persistent materials pollute our environment and threaten our health. An online sensor system for monitoring the presence of nanoparticles in fresh water would be highly desired. We propose a label-free sensor based on SPR imaging. The sensitivity was enhanced by a factor of about 100 by improving the detector by using a high-resolution camera. This revealed that the light source also needed to be improved by using LED excitation instead of a laser light source. As a receptor, different self-assembled monolayers have been screened. It can be seen that the nanoparticle receptor interaction is of a complex nature. The best system when taking sensitivity as well as reversibility into account is given by a dodecanethiol monolayer on the gold sensor surface. Lanthanide-doped nanoparticles, 29 nm in diameter and with a similar refractive index to the most common silica nanoparticles were detected in water down to 1.5 mu g mL(-1). The sensor can be fully regenerated within one hour without the need for any washing buffer. This sensing concept is expected to be easily adapted for the detection of nanoparticles of different size, shape, and composition, and upon miniaturization, suitable for long-term applications to monitor the quality of water. KW - ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES KW - imaging KW - nanoparticle KW - plasmon resonance KW - REFRACTIVE-INDEX KW - sensor KW - surface Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9070175 SN - 2227-9040 VL - 9 IS - 7 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - MDPI ER -