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Developing Sensors Based on TiO2 Nanotubes to Detect Explosives

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Nanotechnology to Aid Chemical and Biological Defense

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Abstract

Within the last decade there has been a great increase in the need of trace and ultra-trace detection of explosives. Due to the very low vapor pressure of TNT and PETN, the development of efficient and sensitive detector systems seems to be complex and expensive. But the development of those systems is highly desirable, as there are considerable security needs, especially with increased use of explosives in terrorist attacks and the present surge of international terrorism.

The reported approach offers a novel procedure based on metal oxide Nanotubes that are inexpensive, lightweight, easily made, and produce cost effective devices to detect PETN.

The development will be described as a step by step procedure to produce a sensing chip device, beginning with the synthesis of the starting materials, to the supersensitive measurements of PETN explosive. As a result, the whole process is actually one of the most cost-effective methods to produce explosive sensing devices reported to date. The achieved chemical nose assembly will be able to detect PETN explosive down to ∼112 ppt. Besides its low detection limit, the sensing device has further advantages founded in the easy and competitive design. The explosives sensor is architecturally designed to be smaller and light weight, which will allow multifaceted application.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Mario Boehme & Wolfgang Ensinger

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  1. Mario Boehme
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  2. Wolfgang Ensinger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario Boehme .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Terri A. Camesano

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Boehme, M., Ensinger, W. (2015). Developing Sensors Based on TiO2 Nanotubes to Detect Explosives. In: Camesano, T. (eds) Nanotechnology to Aid Chemical and Biological Defense. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series A: Chemistry and Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7218-1_8

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