I-Corps: Naked eyes-based standoff detection of explosives using novel signal-amplifying nanocomposite and hand-held UV light

恐怖主义威胁和埋在世界各地的数以百万计的未爆地雷要求开发快速、成本效益高、可靠和方便使用的爆炸物探测设备。最常用的硝基炸药(NG、TNT、DNT、RDX、Tetryl等)大多数爆炸装置都不能密闭地屏蔽炸药，特别是在考虑简易装置和地雷的情况下。因此，依赖于检测爆炸物蒸气的超微量的传感平台是一种很有前途的检测方法。它们的发展在过去十年中取得了进展。然而，这种爆炸物传感平台的灵敏度、简单性、大规模应用和成本效益仍然存在问题。这项建议旨在开发一种快速、经济有效的检测系统，用于大规模识别(埋藏)爆炸物，具有前所未有的简单性、良好的灵敏度和低成本。建议的系统引入了纳米技术、化学和传感技术的一些新功能，以使其在大规模(埋藏)爆炸物检测方面更快、更便宜。除了独立应用开发的技术外，我们的技术还可以作为现有短程传感器平台(例如金属探测器)的附加设备用于爆炸物检测，从而进一步扩大其应用范围。拟议的项目为研究生提供了一个多学科的培训场地。这项工作总体上将推动(埋藏)爆炸物探测技术的发展，如果成功，将对排雷活动和保护平民以及国土安全和反恐活动产生巨大影响。此外，研究活动的多学科性质便于在技术和非技术期刊上传播，并可作为外联活动的主题。这项提议产生的结果将被用作本科生自主学习课程的教材，以及工程学院达芬奇项目(一个旨在将基本工程概念融入小学后课堂的项目)、康涅狄格州大学加强K-12教育的E2K计划以及家庭学龄儿童日活动的示范项目。此外，如果成功，这个特殊的NSF i-Corps项目将把技术、创业和商业诀窍结合在一起，从而将NSF支持的基础研究转化为技术，为美国经济和社会带来短期利益。

Terrorist threats and millions of unexploded land mines buried around the world necessitate the development of equipment for explosives detection that is rapid, cost-effective, reliable and user-friendly. The most often used nitro-based explosives (NG, TNT, DNT, RDX, Tetryl, etc.) possesses an, albeit small, vapor pressure and most explosive devices do not shield the explosive hermetically, particularly when considering improvised devices and landmines. Thus, sensing platforms that rely on detecting ultra-traces of explosives vapors are a promising approach toward their detection. Their development has progressed over the past decade. However, sensitivity, simplicity, large-scale application, and cost-effectiveness of such explosives sensing platforms are still problematic. This proposal aims to develop a rapid and cost-effective detection system for identifying the (buried) explosives in large-scale, with unprecedented simplicity, good sensitivity, and low cost. A number of novel features across nanotechnologies, chemistry and sensing technologies are introduced to the proposed system to make it faster and cheaper toward large-scale (buried) explosives detection. Besides stand-alone application of the developed technology, our technology can also be used as a possible add-on device to an existing short range sensor platform (e.g. a metal detector) for explosives detection, thus further broadening its application. The proposed project offers a multidisciplinary training ground for graduate students. The work will advance the development of detection technique for (buried) explosives in general and, if successful, will have an enormous impact on demining activities and protection of civilian as well as homeland security and anti-terrorism activities. In addition, the multidisciplinary nature of the research activity lends itself for dissemination in technical as well as non-technical journals and as a subject of outreach activities. The results generated from this proposal will be used as the teaching materials for undergraduate independent study course as well as the demonstration projects for the School of Engineering's Da Vinci project (a project geared toward the integration of basic engineering concepts into the post-elementary school classroom), UConn's E2K program to enhance K-12 education, and the activities in Homeschoolers Day. Furthermore, if successful, this special NSF I-Corps project will bring together the technological, entrepreneurial, and business know-how and thus translate NSF-supported fundamental research into technology with near-term benefits for US economy and society.