Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization

Autores
Di Napoli, Tomás; Bujjamer, Juan; Illescas, Marcos; Barja, Beatriz Carmen; Grecco, Hernan Edgardo
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
The obsolescence of proprietary, closed-source software and electronics renders high-quality scientific equipment inoperable, particularly affecting low-income countries where replacement costs hinder research and student training. Institutions often prioritize renewing equipment that addresses the needs of a larger user base, thereby limiting the emergence of research lines, such as up-conversion studies, that require more specific equipment. Refurbishing older equipment with open-source solutions offers a cost-effective way to extend its lifespan while introducing new functionalities. In this work, we present the refurbishment and enhancement of a 30 year-old Horiba PTI QuantaMaster 400 spectrofluorometer, retrofitted to perform not only steady-state, but also time-resolved spectral measurements. We replaced the outdated control system, which relied on proprietary ISA boards and closed-source FelixGX software running on Windows 95, with a modern Red Pitaya (RP) CPU and FPGA board running Linux. We developed a Python application that replicates the original functionality through both a graphical user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). Additional improvements included replacing the monochromator motor driver with DRV8825 integrated circuits controlled by the RP´s digital IO, as well as integrating photon counting through the RP´s analog inputs. We added a computer controlled infrared laser to enable steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of the upconversion process. We demonstrate such extended system capabilities by characterizing β-NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) in the millisecond range with microsecond resolution. The refurbished instrument now operates with open source software and hardware, offering enhanced functionality, programmability, and long-term sustainability, providing a cost-effective solution for advancing research in resource-limited settings.
Fil: Di Napoli, Tomás. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina
Fil: Bujjamer, Juan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina
Fil: Illescas, Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina
Fil: Barja, Beatriz Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina
Fil: Grecco, Hernan Edgardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina
Materia
Spectroscopy
Open hardware
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/282703
Acceder
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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterizationDi Napoli, TomásBujjamer, JuanIllescas, MarcosBarja, Beatriz CarmenGrecco, Hernan EdgardoSpectroscopyOpen hardwarehttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1The obsolescence of proprietary, closed-source software and electronics renders high-quality scientific equipment inoperable, particularly affecting low-income countries where replacement costs hinder research and student training. Institutions often prioritize renewing equipment that addresses the needs of a larger user base, thereby limiting the emergence of research lines, such as up-conversion studies, that require more specific equipment. Refurbishing older equipment with open-source solutions offers a cost-effective way to extend its lifespan while introducing new functionalities. In this work, we present the refurbishment and enhancement of a 30 year-old Horiba PTI QuantaMaster 400 spectrofluorometer, retrofitted to perform not only steady-state, but also time-resolved spectral measurements. We replaced the outdated control system, which relied on proprietary ISA boards and closed-source FelixGX software running on Windows 95, with a modern Red Pitaya (RP) CPU and FPGA board running Linux. We developed a Python application that replicates the original functionality through both a graphical user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). Additional improvements included replacing the monochromator motor driver with DRV8825 integrated circuits controlled by the RP´s digital IO, as well as integrating photon counting through the RP´s analog inputs. We added a computer controlled infrared laser to enable steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of the upconversion process. We demonstrate such extended system capabilities by characterizing β-NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) in the millisecond range with microsecond resolution. The refurbished instrument now operates with open source software and hardware, offering enhanced functionality, programmability, and long-term sustainability, providing a cost-effective solution for advancing research in resource-limited settings.Fil: Di Napoli, Tomás. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Bujjamer, Juan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Illescas, Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Barja, Beatriz Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Grecco, Hernan Edgardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaRoyal Society of Chemistry2025-06info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/282703Di Napoli, Tomás; Bujjamer, Juan; Illescas, Marcos; Barja, Beatriz Carmen; Grecco, Hernan Edgardo; Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization; Royal Society of Chemistry; Nanoscale Advances; 7; 13; 6-2025; 4214-42202516-0230CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://xlink.rsc.org/?DOI=D5NA00330Jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1039/D5NA00330Jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-06-04T11:01:16Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/282703instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-06-04 11:01:17.116CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
title Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
spellingShingle Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
Di Napoli, Tomás
Spectroscopy
Open hardware
title_short Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
title_full Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
title_fullStr Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
title_full_unstemmed Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
title_sort Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Di Napoli, Tomás
Bujjamer, Juan
Illescas, Marcos
Barja, Beatriz Carmen
Grecco, Hernan Edgardo
author Di Napoli, Tomás
author_facet Di Napoli, Tomás
Bujjamer, Juan
Illescas, Marcos
Barja, Beatriz Carmen
Grecco, Hernan Edgardo
author_role author
author2 Bujjamer, Juan
Illescas, Marcos
Barja, Beatriz Carmen
Grecco, Hernan Edgardo
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Spectroscopy
Open hardware
topic Spectroscopy
Open hardware
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv The obsolescence of proprietary, closed-source software and electronics renders high-quality scientific equipment inoperable, particularly affecting low-income countries where replacement costs hinder research and student training. Institutions often prioritize renewing equipment that addresses the needs of a larger user base, thereby limiting the emergence of research lines, such as up-conversion studies, that require more specific equipment. Refurbishing older equipment with open-source solutions offers a cost-effective way to extend its lifespan while introducing new functionalities. In this work, we present the refurbishment and enhancement of a 30 year-old Horiba PTI QuantaMaster 400 spectrofluorometer, retrofitted to perform not only steady-state, but also time-resolved spectral measurements. We replaced the outdated control system, which relied on proprietary ISA boards and closed-source FelixGX software running on Windows 95, with a modern Red Pitaya (RP) CPU and FPGA board running Linux. We developed a Python application that replicates the original functionality through both a graphical user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). Additional improvements included replacing the monochromator motor driver with DRV8825 integrated circuits controlled by the RP´s digital IO, as well as integrating photon counting through the RP´s analog inputs. We added a computer controlled infrared laser to enable steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of the upconversion process. We demonstrate such extended system capabilities by characterizing β-NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) in the millisecond range with microsecond resolution. The refurbished instrument now operates with open source software and hardware, offering enhanced functionality, programmability, and long-term sustainability, providing a cost-effective solution for advancing research in resource-limited settings.
Fil: Di Napoli, Tomás. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina
Fil: Bujjamer, Juan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina
Fil: Illescas, Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina
Fil: Barja, Beatriz Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina
Fil: Grecco, Hernan Edgardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina
description The obsolescence of proprietary, closed-source software and electronics renders high-quality scientific equipment inoperable, particularly affecting low-income countries where replacement costs hinder research and student training. Institutions often prioritize renewing equipment that addresses the needs of a larger user base, thereby limiting the emergence of research lines, such as up-conversion studies, that require more specific equipment. Refurbishing older equipment with open-source solutions offers a cost-effective way to extend its lifespan while introducing new functionalities. In this work, we present the refurbishment and enhancement of a 30 year-old Horiba PTI QuantaMaster 400 spectrofluorometer, retrofitted to perform not only steady-state, but also time-resolved spectral measurements. We replaced the outdated control system, which relied on proprietary ISA boards and closed-source FelixGX software running on Windows 95, with a modern Red Pitaya (RP) CPU and FPGA board running Linux. We developed a Python application that replicates the original functionality through both a graphical user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). Additional improvements included replacing the monochromator motor driver with DRV8825 integrated circuits controlled by the RP´s digital IO, as well as integrating photon counting through the RP´s analog inputs. We added a computer controlled infrared laser to enable steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of the upconversion process. We demonstrate such extended system capabilities by characterizing β-NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) in the millisecond range with microsecond resolution. The refurbished instrument now operates with open source software and hardware, offering enhanced functionality, programmability, and long-term sustainability, providing a cost-effective solution for advancing research in resource-limited settings.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-06
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/282703
Di Napoli, Tomás; Bujjamer, Juan; Illescas, Marcos; Barja, Beatriz Carmen; Grecco, Hernan Edgardo; Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization; Royal Society of Chemistry; Nanoscale Advances; 7; 13; 6-2025; 4214-4220
2516-0230
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/282703
identifier_str_mv Di Napoli, Tomás; Bujjamer, Juan; Illescas, Marcos; Barja, Beatriz Carmen; Grecco, Hernan Edgardo; Giving new life to an outdated spectrofluorometer for static and time-resolved UCNP optical characterization; Royal Society of Chemistry; Nanoscale Advances; 7; 13; 6-2025; 4214-4220
2516-0230
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://xlink.rsc.org/?DOI=D5NA00330J
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1039/D5NA00330J
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Royal Society of Chemistry
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Royal Society of Chemistry
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 12.832306

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