Scientists develop electronic polymer-based sensors to detect explosives rapidly

New Delhi, September 24: In a major development, Indian scientists, for the first time, developed a thermally stable and cost-effective electronic polymer-based sensor for rapidly detecting nitro-aromatic chemicals used in high-energy explosives.

 

The Ministry of Science and Technology gave the information on Friday. The ministry said that detection of explosives without destroying them is essential for protection, and criminal investigations, minefield remediation, military applications, ammunition remediation sites, and security applications, and chemical sensors play a vital role in such cases.

 

Though explosive poly-nitroaromatic compounds can be analyzed usually by sophisticated instrumental techniques, the requirements for quick decision making in criminology laboratories or reclaimed military sites or to detect explosives in possession of extremists often require simple, cheap, and selective field techniques which will be non-destructive in nature, the ministry said.

 

Non-destructive sensing of nitroaromatic chemicals (NACs) is difficult. While earlier studies are based mostly on photo-luminescent property, detection of the basis of conducting property has not been explored so far. Detection on the basis of conducting property helps in making a handy detection device where results can be seen with the help of a LED, it added.

 

To overcome such disadvantages, a team of scientists led by Dr. Neelotpal Sen Sarma from the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati has developed a layer by layer (LBL) polymer detector consisting of two organic polymers -- poly-2-vinyl pyridine with acrylonitrile (P2VP-Co-AN) and copolysulfone of cholesterol methacrylate with hexane (PCHMASH), which undergoes a drastic change in impedance (resistance in an ac circuit) in the presence of a very low concentration of NACs vapor within few seconds.

 

The team chose picric acid (PA) as the model NAC and developed a simple and cost-effective electronic prototype for visual detection of PA. The team has filed a patent for the novel technology which was funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

“An electronic sensing device build around a polymer gas sensor can quickly detect the explosive on-site,” said Dr. Neelotpal Sen Sarma. The sensor device comprises of three layers--polymers copolysulfone of cholesteryl methacrylate along with 1-hexene (PCHMASH), and copolymer of poly-2-vinyl pyridine with acrylonitrile by sandwiching PCHMASH in between two P2VP-Co-AN outer layers by stainless steel (SS) mesh.

 

The sensitivity of the system is determined by monitoring the change in the impedance response with time (sec) in the presence of the vapour of the analyte (picric acid).

 

The tri-layer polymer matrix was found to be a very efficient molecular sensor for nitroaromatic chemicals. The sensor device is quite simple and reversible in nature, and its response does not alter with varying operating temperature in presence of other common chemicals and humidity, the ministry said. The device can be operated at room temperature and has a low response time and negligible interference from other chemicals. The fabrication is very simple, is negligibly affected by humidity, and the cholesterol-based polymers used are biodegradable, it added.

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