Explosives detectors usually do not come on the cheap side, but yet there is an increasing need for such devices, whether it be at the airport or on the battle field or used by police officers during their patrol. Unfortunately the downside to such equipment is that even though they have the potential to save many lives, they do not come cheap and are often difficult to manufacture, at least until a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology tried their hand at it.
What the team has come up with is an inkjet printed ammonia sensor that can help detect IEDs (improvised explosive devices), where ammonia is a commonly used component. This is accomplished through the “ink”, which is made up of carbon nanotubes that contain silver nanoparticles and are passed through the printer at temperatures of 100C. These nanotubes are then coated with a conductive polymer which is used to attract ammonia. The nanotubes can be coated with different coatings, which can be used to help detect other gases as well.
This seems like a cheaper and more efficient process and can be deployed from a safe distance. It has been designed to be aimed at those who are constantly put in hazardous situations, such as humanitarian workers in war-torn countries, military personnel, airport security, etc. While this current version of the sensor requires low power, the team are looking to make the sensor operate passively without any power consumption at all.
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