Photonic molecules for improving the optical response of macroporous silicon photonic crystals for gas sensing purposes

In this paper, we report the benefits of working with photonic molecules in macroporous silicon photonic crystals. In particular, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the optical properties of a resonant peak produced by a single photonic atom of 2.6 µm wide can be sequentially improved if a second and a third cavity of the same length are introduced in the structure. As a consequence of that, the base of the peak is reduced from 500 nm to 100 nm, while its amplitude remains constant, increasing its Q-factor from its initial value of 25 up to 175. In addition, the bandgap is enlarged almost twice and the noise within it is mostly eliminated. In this study we also provide a way of reducing the amplitude of one or two peaks, depending whether we are in the two- or three-cavity case, by modifying the length of the involved photonic molecules so that the remainder can be used to measure gas by spectroscopic methods.Postprint (published version

Infrared optical filters based in macroporous silicon for espectroscopic gas detection

Aplicat embargament des de la data de defensa fins el 31 de desembre de 2021Gas detection is of great importance in areas as diverse as industry, health or safety in domestic environments or public spaces, among others, and it is highly specific to each application. The detection method depends on factors such as the species of gas to be detected, concentration range, required resolution, sensitivity, specificity, response time, operating environment (temperature, humidity, interfering species, etc.), size and cost, among other considerations. Optical gas sensors are an attractive solution for gas detection. Most of them rely on molecular absorption and offer fast responses, minimal drift and are intrinsically reliable thanks to perform self-referenced measurements. Sensitivity and selectivity depend on the characteristics of the device. For example, laser-based gas sensors are highly selective with zero cross response to other gases and also with first-in-class sensitivity. The downside is that they are expensive. Non-dispersive infra-red (NDIR) sensors are a widespread alternative for cost-effective optical detection. They have inferior performances in terms of sensitivity and selectivity than laser-based sensors, but are two or three orders of magnitude less expensive. This thesis is dedicated to improving the selectivity and sensitivity of NDIR devices through the use of macroporous silicon technology. More specifically, it studies how photonic crystals manufactured by electrochemical etching can be used as narrow mid-infrared filters for gas detection purposes. That is, the photonic crystals are designed in such a way that only a small range of frequencies from an external source are transmitted while the surroundings are blocked. These filters are narrower than those available on the market and can be used to improve the selectivity and the sensitivity of NDIR devices as well as to reduce cross detection with other gases. In addition, the study shows how macroporous silicon photonic crystals can be heated to work as selective emitters. This can be used to reduce the complexity of the NDIR device while maintaining similar optical characteristics. Furthermore, it is proven that photonic molecules can be employed to perform dual detection in both transmission and emission, giving a new approach to self-referenced measurements. Conclusions of the work show that macroporous silicon technology is a versatile platform to provide solutions in the mid-infrared range for developing compact, sensitive and selective optical gas sensing.La detecció de gasos és de gran importància en àrees tan diverses com la indústria, la salut o la seguretat en entorns domèstics o espais públics, entre d'altres, i és altament específica per a cada aplicació. El mètode de detecció a utilitzar depèn de factors com ara el gas a detectar, el rang de concentració, la resolució requerida, la sensibilitat, l'especificitat, el temps de resposta, l'entorn operatiu (temperatura, humitat, espècies interferents, etc. .), la mida i el cost, entre altres consideracions. Els sensors òptics de gas són una solució atractiva per a la detecció de gas. La majoria d'ells es basen en l'absorció molecular i ofereixen respostes ràpides, deriva mínima i són intrínsecament fiables gràcies a la realització de mesures auto-referenciades. La sensibilitat i la selectivitat depenen de les característiques del dispositiu. Per exemple, els sensors de gas basats en tecnologia làser són altament selectius, no presenten resposta creuada a altres gasos i són altament sensibles. El desavantatge és que són cars. Els sensors d'infrarojos no dispersius (NDIR) són una alternativa molt estesa per a la detecció òptica de baix cost. Tenen un rendiment inferior en termes de sensibilitat i selectivitat que els sensors basats en làser, però són dos o tres ordres de magnitud més barats. Aquesta tesi està dedicada a millorar la selectivitat i la sensibilitat dels dispositius NDIR mitjançant la tecnologia de silici macroporós. Més específicament, estudia com els cristalls fotònics fabricats mitjançant el gravat electroquímic poden ser usats com a filtres estrets d'infraroig mitjà per a la detecció de gasos. És a dir, els cristalls fotònics estan dissenyats de tal manera que només un petit rang de freqüències d'una font externa es transmet mentre que els voltants estan bloquejats. Aquests filtres són més estrets que els disponibles en el mercat i poden utilitzar-se per millorar la selectivitat i la sensibilitat dels dispositius NDIR, així com per reduir la detecció creuada amb altres gasos. A més, l'estudi mostra com els cristalls fotònics de silici macroporós poden funcionar com a emissors selectius si són escalfats. Això pot ser usat per reduir la complexitat dels dispositius NDIR alhora que es mantenen característiques òptiques similars. A més, s'ha demostrat que les molècules fotòniques poden emprar-se per realitzar una detecció dual tant en la transmissió com en l'emissió, donant un nou enfocament a les mesures auto-referenciades. Les conclusions del treball mostren que la tecnologia de silici macroporós és una plataforma versàtil que proporciona solucions en el rang d'infraroig mitjà per al desenvolupament de sensors de gas òptics compactes, sensibles i selectius.Postprint (published version

Study of resonant modes in a 700 nm pitch macroporous silicon photonic crystal

In this study the modes produced by a defect inserted in a macroporous silicon (MP) photonic crystal (PC) have been studied theoretical and experimentally. In particular, the transmitted and reflected spectra have been analyzed for variations in the defect’s length and width. The performed simulations show that the resonant frequency is more easily adjusted for the fabricated samples by length tuning rather than width. The optimum resonance peak results when centered in the PC bandgap. The changes in the defect geometry result in small variations of the optical response of the PC. The resonance frequency is most sensitive to length variations, while the mode linewidth shows greater change with the defect width variation. Several MPS photonic crystals were fabricated by the electrochemical etching (EE) process with optical response in the range of 5.8 µm to 6.5 µm. Results of the characterization are in good agreement with simulations. Further samples were fabricated consisting of ordered modulated pores with a pitch of 700 nm. This allowed to reduce the vertical periodicity and therefore to have the optical response in the range of 4.4 µm to 4.8 µm. To our knowledge, modes working in this range of wavelengths have not been previously reported in 3-d MPS structures. Experimental results match with simulations, showing a linear relationship between the defect’s length and working frequency inside the bandgap. We demonstrate the possibility of tailoring the resonance peak in both ranges of wavelengths, where the principal absorption lines of different gases in the mid infrared are placed. This makes these structures very promising for their application to compact gas sensors.Postprint (author's final draft

Energy efficiency and integration of urban electrical transport systems: EVS and metro-trains of two real European lines

Transport is a main source of pollutants in cities, where air quality is a major concern. New transport technologies, such as electric vehicles, and public transport modalities, such as urban railways, have arisen as solutions to this important problem. One of the main difficulties for the adoption of electric vehicles by consumers is the scarcity of a suitable charging infrastructure. The use of the railway power supplies to charge electric vehicle batteries could facilitate the deployment of charging infrastructure in cities. It would reduce the cost because of the use of an existing installation. Furthermore, electric vehicles can use braking energy from trains that was previously wasted in rheostats. This paper presents the results of a collaboration between research teams from University of Rome Sapienza and Comillas Pontifical University. In this work, two real European cases are studied: an Italian metro line and a Spanish metro line. The energy performance of these metro lines and their capacity to charge electric vehicles have been studied by means of detailed simulation tools. Their results have shown that the use of regenerated energy is 98% for short interval of trains in both cases. However, the use of regenerated energy decreases as the train intervals grow. In a daily operation, an important amount of regenerated energy is wasted in the Italian and Spanish case. Using this energy, a significant number of electric vehicles could be charged every day

Assessment of the worthwhileness of efficient driving in railway systems with high-receptivity power supplies

Eco-driving is one of the most important strategies for significantly reducing the energy consumption of railways with low investments. It consists of designing a way of driving a train to fulfil a target running time, consuming the minimum amount of energy. Most eco-driving energy savings come from the substitution of some braking periods with coasting periods. Nowadays, modern trains can use regenerative braking to recover the kinetic energy during deceleration phases. Therefore, if the receptivity of the railway system to regenerate energy is high, a question arises: is it worth designing eco-driving speed profiles? This paper assesses the energy benefits that eco-driving can provide in different scenarios to answer this question. Eco-driving is obtained by means of a multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm, combined with a detailed train simulator, to obtain realistic results. Eco-driving speed profiles are compared with a standard driving that performs the same running time. Real data from Spanish high-speed lines have been used to analyze the results in two case studies. Stretches fed by 1 × 25 kV and 2 × 25 kV AC power supply systems have been considered, as they present high receptivity to regenerate energy. Furthermore, the variations of the two most important factors that affect the regenerative energy usage have been studied: train motors efficiency ratio and catenary resistance. Results indicate that the greater the catenary resistance, the more advantageous eco-driving is. Similarly, the lower the motor efficiency, the greater the energy savings provided by efficient driving. Despite the differences observed in energy savings, the main conclusion is that eco-driving always provides significant energy savings, even in the case of the most receptive power supply network. Therefore, this paper has demonstrated that efforts in improving regenerated energy usage must not neglect the role of eco-driving in railway efficiency

Can intensive agricultural landscapes favour some raptor species? The Marsh harrier in north-eastern Spain

Agricultural intensification over the last 60 decades has been linked to decreases in biodiversity and in the breeding populations of several avian species in farmlands. However, agricultural intensification has not affected all species in the same way and transformed landscapes can still provide suitable habitats for species tolerant to some degree of anthropogenic change. Understanding habitat selection in man-made landscapes is a pre-requisite to effective management and conservation of the species that use them. However, habitat-related choices made by individuals occupying these landscapes are often difficult to explain, as the cues they use may be decoupled from the ecological context in which they evolved. Here, we investigated nesting habitat selection in a ground-nesting raptor breeding mainly in wetlands, which, unlike many other species occupying farmlands, has experienced a population increase in some agricultural regions. We used multivariate analysis to assess the extent to which habitat characteristics, human disturbance or proximity to other occupied sites influenced nesting-site occupancy. Our results indicate that Marsh harriers occupied breeding sites according to habitat cues obtained at two complementary spatial scales (i.e. the breeding site and the foraging area). This study indicates that a raptor species that uses human-made structures such as ponds for breeding while exploiting their surrounding crops for hunting can take advantage of agricultural intensification. Environmental disturbances are often viewed only in terms of their harmful impacts on the affected species. However, human activities are causing many types of alterations in natural landscapes that can be exploited by certain species with positive responses towards these transformations. The adaptation of some raptors to human-altered environments, such as the Marsh harrier in our study area, raises doubts regarding the appropriateness of using such species as indicators of natural habitat quality. © 2011 The Authors. Animal Conservation © 2011 The Zoological Society of London.Peer Reviewe

Incorporating phylogeographic information in alien bird distribution models increases geographic extent but not accuracy of predictions

Species distribution models (SDM) have been proposed as valuable first screening tools for predicting species responses to new environmental conditions. SDMs are usually conducted at the species level, assuming that species-environment relationships are a species-specific feature that do not evolve and show no variability across a species’ range. However, broad environmental tolerances at the species level can encompass narrower and different environmental tolerances for specific lineages or populations. In this study, we evaluate whether SDMs that account for within-taxon niche variation in climate and human-habitat associations provide better fits between projected distributions and real occurrence data for alien bird species than species-level SDMs. Our study focuses on eight alien bird species with established alien populations for which detailed phylogeographic information was available. Similarity in climates and human disturbance conditions occupied by different phylogenetic groups within species was low and not greater than random expectations. Accounting for intraspecific niche variation in SDMs modified the distribution and extent of suitable habitat predicted as susceptible to invasion, but did not result in more accurate model predictions in alien ranges. Until more accurate information on intraspecific variability is available, species-level models can be reasonable candidates. When phylogeographic information is available, the use of the most conservative criterion (i.e. to model both species and lineages on the basis of the actual range) is recommended

Antecedentes del comportamiento colaborativo en la empresa: el caso de los blogs corporativos. Antecedents of collaborative behavior in companies: an analysis of the use of corporate blogs

La implementación exitosa de herramientas colaborativas en las empresas exige de los empleados un comportamiento colaborativo adecuado. Este trabajo presenta una caracterización del compotamiento colaborativo a través del uso de blogs corporativos,identificando sus antecedentes y analizando la influencia relativa de éstos en el comportamiento colaborativo de 86 empleados del departamento de Sistemas de Información de una gran empresa industrial localizada en España. Los resultados indican que entre los antecedentes identificados, el altruismo,los objetos comunes y la confianza mutua predicen positivamente el comportamiento colaborativo,mientras que el sentdio de pertenecencia a una comunidad,la reputación y la reciprocidad no lo hacen

Comportamiento colaborativo: Medida y caracterización a través de la utilización de blogs en entorno empresarial

In order to improve collaboration within working teams, several collaborative tools are being deployed in most of the modern organizations; for this improvement to occur, employees also have to perform an appropriate collaborative behavior. The objective of this exploratory study is to measure and characterize this collaborative behavior taking into account several factors. In order to assess predictive ability for the research model, we have developed a theoretical model, which has been validated with data from 86 employees from the department of Information Systems of a large industrial company based in Spain. Findings from the results show that altruism, common objectives and mutual trust positively predict collaborative behavior, while the sense of belonging to a community, reputation and reciprocity do not

Combining trade data and niche modelling improves predictions of the origin and distribution of non-native European populations of a globally invasive species

Aim: Although propagule pressure and environmental constraints are among the most important factors determining invasion success, studies considering both factors simultaneously are scarce. Moreover, while recent evidence suggests that the environmental requirements of individuals from different geographical ranges may be different, the role of propagule origin in invasions has been largely overlooked. Our aim was to disentangle the relative role of niche requirements, propagule origin and propagule pressure on the distribution of an invasive bird species. Location: Europe, Asia and Africa. Methods: We used species distribution models, niche and deviance partitioning analyses to investigate the relative roles of propagule pressure (international trade), origin of individuals (Asian or African), and environmental constraints in determining the distribution of invasive ring-necked parakeets across 25 European countries. Results: Differences between niches of native Asian and African parakeets were found, with the Asian niche matching the European niche more closely. In the invasive European range, distribution of parakeets was mainly explained by the pure effect of year of first importation (as a proxy of time since first introduction), the pure effect of geographical origin of propagules and the joint effect of environmental suitability and year of first importation, but not by overall propagule pressure. Only when taking into account the fraction of individuals whose native niche fitted better the European conditions - Asian parakeets - was the role of propagule pressure highlighted by models. Main conclusions: While environmental-based predictions calibrated on native ranges can constitute a useful first-screening tool, incorporating information about propagule pressure and especially about the variability in its geographical origin may result in a much more thorough assessment of invasion risk. Trade data reveal as a valuable proxy of propagule origin and pressure that can be combined with niche modelling for predicting the fate of trade-mediated invasions in a variety of organisms.Peer Reviewe