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Related Experiment Videos

Explosives detection by swabbing for improvised explosive devices.

James M E Glackin1, Ross N Gillanders, Frans Eriksson

  • 1Organic Semiconductor Centre, SUPA, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, Scotland. rg89@st-andrews.ac.uk gat@st-andrews.ac.uk.

The Analyst
|October 9, 2020
PubMed
Summary

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This study presents a novel optical sensor method for detecting trace explosive residues on swabs. The technique offers enhanced sensitivity for identifying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in security applications.

Area of Science:

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Sensor Technology

Background:

  • Trace explosive detection is crucial for security, with swabs being a standard collection method.
  • Existing detection methods often lack the required sensitivity for trace amounts of explosives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a sensitive method for collecting and detecting trace explosive residues using swabs and an optical sensor.
  • To evaluate the performance of this method in laboratory and field settings for improvised explosive device (IED) detection.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing fluoropolymer-coated swabs for collecting explosive material.
  • Employing thermal desorption to release explosives onto a luminescent optical sensor.
  • Measuring the quenching of light emission from the sensor as an indicator of explosive presence.

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Main Results:

  • Achieved detection sensitivity up to three orders of magnitude higher than standard colorimetric tests in laboratory settings.
  • Successfully applied the method in field tests to detect military-grade explosives (TNT, PETN, RDX) on various objects and post-blast craters.
  • Demonstrated the first use of organic semiconductors for detecting sub-milligram explosive amounts sorbed on a substrate in real-world conditions.

Conclusions:

  • The developed swab-based optical sensor method provides a highly sensitive approach for trace explosive detection.
  • This technique offers a promising new avenue for effective improvised explosive device (IED) detection in security-sensitive environments.
  • The use of organic semiconductors represents a significant advancement in field-deployable explosive sensing technology.