BrainMap

Denisa - Corina Cuibus

Dr. Eng.

Scientific Research Assistant - INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Researcher

Web of Science ResearcherID: AAA-3484-2022

Expertise & keywords

Nanostructured microfluidic analytical platform for dual SERS-electrochemical detection of emerging environmental pollutants Call name: EEA Grants - Proiecte Colaborative de Cercetare
RO-NO-2019-0517 2020 - 2024

Role in this project: Partner team leader

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE "IULIU HATIEGANU" (RO); SINTEF AS (NO); NANOM MEMS SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://www.itim-cj.ro/polsens/

Abstract:

Environmental contamination with pesticides causes negative impact on soil, water, and whole ecosystems. Studies evidenced links between pesticides and diseases such as Parkinson’s, prostate cancer, immune depression, allergies, and others in population groups heavily exposed to pesticides. Chronic exposure to low levels of pesticides also raises toxicity concerns. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a class of very dangerous pollutants, capable of long-range transport, bio-accumulation in human and animal tissue, and bio-magnification in food chains. In such an exposed environment almost everyone has POPs in their body, including newborns or even embryos. Highly accessible analytical platforms for fast, selective and decentralized detection of dangerous chemicals are therefore of very high demand.

Within this project we propose to develop sensing platforms able to detect environmental pollutants by simultaneous optical spectroscopy and electrochemistry. A nanostructured plasmonic chip will be the core of the spectro-electrochemical sensor combining the advantages of highly specific and sensitive surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to the versatility, portability, and low costs of electrochemical (EC) sensing. The dual SERS-EC sensing platform will be integrated in a microfluidic system, in order to benefit from reproducible measurements due to highly defined environment, easy handling of small sample volumes, high throughput detection, and even sample preparation and mixing procedures in continuous flow. Additionally, a second dual sensing cell based on common spectrophotometer cuvettes, for ml-scale sample volumes will be developed. The proof of concept will be demonstrated on organohalide pesticide endosulfan, an emerging pollutant (EP) selected from the new POPs list of the Stockholm Convention and the JRC Watch List. Extending the adaptability of the proposed sensing platform to the detection of other environmental pollutants (e.g. lamda-cyhalotrin, thiabendazole) will be also pursued. Our research aims to provide sensing platforms by which these substances can be detected in surface waters samples and also to contribute to the scientific data regarding POPs accumulation and distribution. The design and experimental development of the SERS-electrochemical sensor aims for device portability for field (in-situ) applications, such as monitoring EPs in surface waters at critical sites (e.g. in the vicinity of a possible pollution source).

To overcome the involved scientific and technical challenges and achieve the proposed objectives, a diverse range of expertise, skills and infrastructure capacities are combined: optical simulations and experiments, nanofabrication, microsystems technologies and microfluidics, advanced characterisation tools, plasmonics, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, DFT calculations, electrochemistry, gas chromatography, chemometric tools. The proposed consortium is a highly trained and experienced one, relatively young, and with a very good gender balance. No ethical issues implying human or animal testing are raised by the implementation of this project.

Network of excellence in applied research and innovation for doctoral and postdoctoral study programs Call name:
POCU/993/6/13/153437 2022 - 2023

Role in this project: Partner team leader

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA TIMIŞOARA

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA TIMIŞOARA (); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICĂ "GHEORGHE ASACHI" IAŞI (); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DIN CLUJ - NAPOCA ()

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DIN CLUJ - NAPOCA ()

Project website: https://inohubdoc.upt.ro

Abstract:

Attracting and maintaining doctoral students and post-doctoral students in high-quality educational programs, including by ensuring an adequate level of funding and by promoting partnership relations between institutions and the business environment, pedagogical training opportunities by supporting, developing and providing training modules complementary courses, with an applied component, for the training of transversal/entrepreneurial skills in support of research and innovation, especially in the economic sectors with competitive potential identified according to the SNC and in the fields of intelligent specialization, addressed to students in doctoral study programs and post-doctoral researchers doctorate, for a period of 12 months, from the Polytechnic University of Timișoara, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and the "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University of Iași.

The optimization of recycled lead for the applications on the automobile battery Call name: P 3 - SP 3.1 - Proiecte de mobilități, România-China (bilaterale)
PN-III-P3-3.1-PM-RO-CN-2018-0183 2018 - 2019

Role in this project: Partner team leader

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO); Institute of High Energy Physics Chinese Academy of Science, P. R. China (CN)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Project website: http://www.itim-cj.ro/bilateral/bm13/

Abstract:

The lead acid battery is a ”living” and the most successful electrochemical power source of all times. After consumption, the recycling of lead is important for the environment, but also for saving natural resources, in accordance with EU Directive 2006. The need for the built a ”society of recycling batteries” using environmentally friendly, low cost and low energy consumption methods remains a problem of the modern world. One of the highly aimed goals of electrochemist consists in the valorification of recycled materials in the environment from which they came from – like new electrodes for renewable batteries.

The aim of this project consists in the efficient optimizating of recycled lead from anodic and cathodic plates of a spent car battery by the incorporation of another oxides using a eco-innovative, low cost and low energy consumption method. The new structural features of the recycled lead will improve renewable battery performances due to the substantially reducing passivation on the surface of the anodic electrode. The most important factor is consists in the manufacturing of new electrodes using PN-III-CEI-BIM-CN recycled materials and the reframing of new product in the environment from which they came from - like optimized electrodes for renewable batteries.

The optimization of recycled lead for the applications on the automobile battery Call name:
PN-III-P3-3.1-PMRO-CN-2018-0183 2018 - 2019

Role in this project: Partner team leader

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Project website: http://www.itim-cj.ro/bilateral/bm13/index.htm

Abstract:

Necesitatea construirii unei ”Societăţi a reciclării bateriilor” utilizând metode nepoluante, cu cost scăzut şi consum de energie redus rămâne o problemă a lumii moderne. Ambiţiile unui electrochimist sunt valorificarea produşilor rezultaţi din reciclare în mediul de unde au provenit la baterii reîncărcabile.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects