Rapid Project

RaPID is the acronym of Raman Probe for chemical contaminant IDentification. RaPID is a NATO founded research project which run from 1st June 2017 The overall aim of RaPID is to develop and test a robust, reliable and low-cost portable Raman probe which will be employed for chemical contaminant identification in surface waters. The sensor probe is based on a label free Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) technology by using cost effective metal nanostructures, integrated with optical fiber and microfluidics. The RaPID probe developed along the project will be used for detecting major contaminants traces in water such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Ammonia, Nitrates, Herbicides and Pesticides. The proposed technology will be a breakthrough in applying photonic sensing to chemical and biological defence, relevant to several NATO SPS Key Priorities, such as environmental security and counter-terrorism.