The chip manages to detect explosives in the air at extremely low concentrations of a number of molecules out of 1000 trillion (one thousand billion).
[Translation by Dr. Nachmani Moshe]
A breakthrough nanotechnology sensor manages to sense the presence of explosive molecules better than a dog's nose. The device is a portable, cheap and incredibly accurate device, one that manages to detect explosives in the air at extremely low concentrations of a number of molecules out of 1000 trillion (one thousand billion).
Security forces around the world rely on sophisticated equipment, trained professionals and sniffer dogs to secure airports and other public areas to protect against terrorist attacks. An innovative and revolutionary electronic chip that includes nanometer chemical sensors is designed to make their work easier.
The innovative sensor, developed by Professor Fernando Petulsky from the School of Chemistry and the Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology at Tel Aviv University, manages to sense the molecule of explosives more effectively than a dog's nose. The research findings were recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Existing sensors for detecting explosives are expensive, bulky devices that require professional analysis of the findings. In contrast, the new device is a portable, cheap and incredibly accurate device, one that manages to detect explosives in the air at very low concentrations of a number of molecules out of 1000 trillion (one thousand billion).
"With the help of a single tiny chip composed of hundreds of highly sensitive sensors, we are able to detect very minute traces of extremely volatile explosives in air samples, characterize them precisely and differentiate them from other non-dangerous substances," said Professor Petulsky, one of the successful researchers in the field of nanotechnology. "In real time, our device is able to detect small molecular forms in the air at extremely low concentrations (parts-per-quadrillion), a level that is four to five orders of magnitude more sensitive than any other existing detection method, and a level that is two to three orders of magnitude more sensitive than the sensitivity level of a dog . "Our chip can even detect improvised explosives, such as triacetone (TATP, triacetone triperoxide), an explosive used in terrorist attacks by suicide bombers, both in Israel and around the world," Professor Petulsky added.
Clusters of nanotransistors used in the sensor prototype are particularly sensitive to chemicals, and these cause changes in the sensor's electrical conductivity the moment they come in contact with the surface of the chip. As soon as even a single molecule of an explosive material comes into contact with the sensors, it binds to them and initiates a precise and rapid mathematical analysis of the material. "Sensitives are affected by their mood, the weather, their state of health, the workload imposed on them, the oversaturated state of their olfactory system, etc.," said Professor Petulsky. "In addition, they also can't tell us what they smell. Automated sensing systems are more effective candidates than dogs, and they work at least as well as, or even better than, nature. This is not an easy task, but we were able to achieve it through the development of innovative technologies such as our sensor."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWGsZo7svvo
The explosive trace detection sensor, which is still in the prototype stage, can detect several different types of explosives several meters above the ground in real time. The sensor was tested and was able to detect common explosives such as TNT (Wikipedia), RDX (Wikipedia) and HMX (Wikipedia), used in commercial blasting methods and military applications, as well as peroxide-based explosives such as TATP (Wikipedia) and HMTD (Wikipedia). where the latter are used in home-made bombs and are difficult to detect using existing technologies.
"In our breakthrough lies the potential to completely change the way we identify dangerous substances, which will surely provide citizens with much more security," said Professor Petulsky. "Rapid and more sensitive detection of minute amounts of explosives in the air will provide us with a better and safer world."
The company Tracense has invested over 10 million dollars in the research and development of the device since 2007, and the researchers hope to market the device next year. Professor Petulski and his research team are currently conducting extensive field testing of the prototype devices for the new sensor.
One response
Israeli honor and pride that remained in Israel with the research despite the difficulties today.
I hope that if the device is really mobile it will be possible to equip engineering forces with it or some kind of robot that can locate explosives before sending soldiers to the building.