Synergizing National Excellence with European Cooperation: A New TÜBİTAK Project Strengthens the TETRA Network

We are pleased to announce a significant scientific advancement within the TETRA COST Action (CA23125). A newly funded national research project by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) has officially joined and strengthened TETRA’s growing scientific ecosystem.

Funded under TÜBİTAK’s highly competitive 1001 Research Projects Programme (Project No. 125E833), the project aims to push the frontiers of metamaterial-based sensing and broadband dielectric characterization.

Bridging Industrial Diagnostics with Metamaterial-Based Sensing

The project, entitled “Development of Microwave and Metamaterial-Based High-Sensitivity Sensors for Early Detection of Wear Metals and Oil Degradation in Locomotive Engines”, is led by Dr. Olcay Altıntaş, with key contributions from Prof. Dr. Muharrem Karaaslan and Dr. Fatih Özkan Alkurt.

With a total budget of approximately €100,000, the research focuses on developing advanced microwave and metamaterial-enabled sensor platforms capable of detecting subtle dielectric variations in complex media across a broad frequency range (10 MHz–43.5 GHz).

While TETRA primarily aims to establish a metamaterial formalism as a standardized framework for cancer detection, this TÜBİTAK project clearly demonstrates the transferability and versatility of metamaterial concepts beyond biomedical diagnostics.

The project specifically addresses:

  • Dielectric Characterization: Broadband measurement of dielectric properties in complex and disordered media.
  • Effective Medium Approximation: Use of sub-wavelength resonators (SRR, CSRR, fractal geometries) to detect minute permittivity changes.
  • High-Sensitivity Sensing: Integration of differential PDMS-based microfluidic channels to enhance electromagnetic field–material coupling.

Strengthening the TETRA Management and Working Groups

The project team actively contributes to the TETRA Action at multiple levels.
Prof. Dr. Muharrem Karaaslan serves as a member of the TETRA Management Committee (MC), supporting strategic coordination between national initiatives and European research priorities.

Meanwhile, Dr. Olcay Altıntaş and Dr. Fatih Özkan Alkurt contribute to the technical progress of the Action through their involvement in the TETRA Working Groups, particularly:

  • WG2: Mathematical modelling and effective permittivity extraction.
  • WG3: Investigation of physical and biological properties of disordered materials.

Towards Metamaterial-Enabled Diagnostics and Beyond

The integration of this TÜBİTAK-funded project into the TETRA framework exemplifies the Action’s mission to foster a joint European research agenda in metamaterial-enabled diagnostics. By exploring how metamaterial theories can predict and amplify subtle changes in complex disordered systems—ranging from industrial lubricants to biological tissues—the collaboration contributes to the emergence of novel, cross-disciplinary diagnostic paradigms.

This development also highlights the importance of capacity building within COST, bridging expertise from electrical engineering and applied physics to materials science and future clinical applications.