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Updated: Feb 6, 2026
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Research and Development of High-performance Explosives
Published on: February 20, 2016
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Recent Developments in Spectroscopic Techniques for the Detection of Explosives.
Wei Zhang1, Yue Tang2, Anran Shi3
1Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China. wzhang@njust.edu.cn.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 8, 2018
Summary
Detecting trace explosives is crucial for security. This review covers spectroscopy techniques like terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman spectroscopy, and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for explosive residue detection.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Spectroscopy
- Forensic Science
- National Security
Background:
- Trace detection of explosives is a persistent challenge in defense, public safety, and counter-terrorism.
- Developing effective methods for identifying explosive residues is critical for preventing security threats.
- Spectroscopy-based techniques offer rapid, automatic, and non-contact solutions for detecting energetic materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of recent advancements in spectroscopy for trace explosives detection.
- To summarize the advantages and limitations of various spectroscopy-based detection methods.
- To discuss future directions in the field of explosives detection technology.
Main Methods:
- Review of applications of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy for trace explosives detection.
- Analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in explosives identification.
- Evaluation of Raman spectroscopy and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for detecting explosive residues.
Main Results:
- Spectroscopy techniques demonstrate significant potential for rapid and non-contact trace explosives detection.
- Each method (THz, LIBS, Raman, IMS) presents unique advantages and limitations for specific applications.
- Recent years have seen notable progress in refining these spectroscopic approaches for enhanced sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions:
- Spectroscopy-based methods are indispensable tools for modern trace explosives detection.
- Continued research and development are essential to overcome existing limitations and improve detection capabilities.
- Future efforts should focus on integrating complementary techniques and advancing portable, field-deployable systems.
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