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Home > News > New chemical sensors can detect TNT vapour from the roadside.

April 10th, 2008

New chemical sensors can detect TNT vapour from the roadside.

Abstract:
Chemical sensors developed at the University of Michigan positioned along the roadside or at other military locations could sniff out TNT and give off signals that could alert military personnel to the location of a bomb.

These sensors could be made for as cheaply as US$10 each, according to the team leader, chemistry professor Theodore Goodson III, and would be monitored by passing military vehicles equipped with infra-red lasers. Personnel could fire these lasers at the sensors to excite the fluorescence and a specially-designed light-collection system would detect the sensors' response. Any sensors that don't fluoresce would be tip-offs to possible locations of roadside bombs.

Goodson's innovation uses highly sensitive, low-cost, battery-free, thin film sensors which require no electronic equipment or excitation source at the sites where they are installed. Current chemical TNT sensors must be used in close proximity to the suspicious site, increasing the risk for military personnel.

Source:
scenta.co.uk

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