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

恐怖主义威胁和世界各地埋下的数百万枚未爆炸地雷要求开发快速、成本效益高、可靠和方便用户的爆炸物探测设备。最常用的硝基炸药（NG、TNT、DNT、RDX、Tetryl等）尽管蒸汽压力很小，但大多数爆炸装置并不能将爆炸物密封起来，特别是考虑到简易装置和地雷。因此，依赖于检测爆炸物蒸汽的超痕量的传感平台是一种有前途的方法。在过去十年中，它们的发展取得了进展。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。该方案旨在开发一种快速、低成本的爆炸物检测系统，以实现对爆炸物的大规模检测，该系统具有前所未有的简单性、高灵敏度和低成本。在纳米技术，化学和传感技术的一些新功能被引入到拟议的系统，使其更快，更便宜的大规模（埋）爆炸物检测。除了独立应用所开发的技术外，我们的技术还可以用作现有短距离传感器平台（例如金属探测器）的附加设备，用于爆炸物探测，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基地。这项工作将推动（埋在地下的）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有助于在技术和非技术期刊上传播，并作为外联活动的主题。从这个建议产生的结果将被用作本科自主学习课程的教材，以及工程学院的达芬奇芬奇项目（一个项目，面向基础工程概念整合到小学后的课堂），康州大学的E2 K计划，以加强K-12教育，并在家庭学校日活动的示范项目。此外，如果成功的话，这个特殊的NSF I-Corps项目将汇集技术，创业和商业知识，从而将NSF支持的基础研究转化为对美国经济和社会有短期利益的技术。

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.