IPPA Award to Prof. Vincenzo Spagnolo for his contributions to science in the development of quartz tuning fork photoacoustic spectroscopy

Awards. In Brazil, the International Photoacoustic and Photothermal Association. Applications: biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, industrial safety. The PolySense laboratory for research and experimentation. The Poliba faculty member’s satisfaction

6 July 2026

In Brazil, on July 2, during the biennial Conference of the International Photoacoustic and Photothermal Association (IPPA), Prof. Vincenzo Spagnolo, a Poliba professor of Applied Physics at the Interuniversity Department of Physics, Poliba-Uniba, received the IPPA Award, a prestigious prize for outstanding contributions to science in the development of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS).

The IPPA Award is a recognition for scientists, engineers, and physicians who have made important and impactful contributions in the field of photoacoustic and photothermal sciences and technologies.

Environment, safety, medicine. Prof. Spagnolo’s research work – the citation states – “has advanced resonant photoacoustic detection and has established QEPAS as a highly sensitive technique for trace gas detection in the mid-infrared and terahertz regions. His main innovations in QEPAS design, signal optimization, broadband operation, and compact multi-gas detection – continues – have made applications possible in environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and biomedical diagnostics”.

Laboratory. This research has benefited from the PolySenSe-THORLABS joint laboratory, located in the Department of Physics, which has ultimately contributed to the commercialization of quartz-based modules, QEPAS, and related systems, extending the research to real-world applications in the aforementioned sectors.

Applications. Prof. Spagnolo’s satisfaction is evident. Regarding experiments and applications, he says: “in medicine we have ongoing collaborations with the specialized Center for Gastroenterology, “Saverio de Bellis”- IRCCS, in Castellana Grotte, on colorectal cancer with breath analysis and liquid biopsy with IR spectroscopy. We are starting with the Oncology Institute of Bari and “de Bellis” in Castellana to use a recently acquired quantum cascade microscope, the first of its kind in Italy, for the analysis of biological samples. For the environment, the ‘Optimove’ project has just ended, linked to air analysis in the Bari urban area with the National Mobility Center (MOST). We have completed the measurements and are finalizing the data analysis. There are substances that, following exposure near busy roads, are inhaled and remain in the body for several hours. But we will have the final data by the end of the month. Finally, on the safety front, we are carrying out a project with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) whose aim was the development of a sensor for hydrogen sulfide, H2S (typical smell of rotten eggs), capable of monitoring the concentration of this type of gas near fumaroles (Campi Flegrei) and providing data that could in the future be used to predict possible volcanic activity”.

The article IPPA Award to Prof. Vincenzo Spagnolo for his contributions to science in the development of quartz tuning fork photoacoustic spectroscopy comes from Poliba Chronicle.