Subject areas

Air/Gas

Where do explosive gases arise? Is a cable fire breaking out from a scorching cable? How clean is the air from the air conditioning system? The control of industrial goods and the living and working areas of people requires sensors that are robust, self-sufficient and inexpensive. Novel hybrid sensors that detect a wide range of substances in the smallest doses in the air can help to identify dangers and conserve resources.

Novel hybrid sensors that detect a wide range of substances in the smallest doses in the air can help to identify dangers and conserve resources.

Water

Water represents one of the greatest goods of mankind. The protection, availability and resource-saving use of water are of paramount importance now and in the future.

The prerequisite for maintaining existing ecosystems, ensuring the quality of drinking water or protecting against pollution is the ability to carry out appropriate measurements and result evaluations. The measurement technology required for this, the sensors for recording measurements and the ability to evaluate the results are required from the source at which the water emerges from the earth for the first time to the reintroduction of the treated wastewater. Information about the chemical and biological composition of the respective water and the time it takes to obtain the information can have enormous effects. Special hybrid sensors of the future should master this task and detect and signal undesired substances or germs.

Food

The variety of our food is constantly increasing in an increasingly globalized world. We can enjoy that with an ever increasing selection. It is therefore all the more important to ensure the quality of these foods and groceries or to comply with the standards for their production, storage and transport.

Despite great efforts, there have always been problems and even scandals in the past, which show that security for consumers is complex to ensure. Sensors that are powerful enough to detect even the smallest contamination, monitor the quality of food in the entire production chain, and provide manufacturer and consumer information about compliance with transport and storage conditions are the requirements that we face.