Boosting Explosives Detection Capabilities: Vapor Detection

A new Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-developed method provides direct, real-time detection of trace amounts of explosives such as RDX, PETN, and C-4. The method selectively ionizes a sample before passing the sample through a mass spectrometer to detect explosive vapors. The method could be used at airports to improve aviation security.

Transcript

00:00:03 [Music] here at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory we perform Trace detection research to enhance the detection of explosives this demonstration will illustrate a groundbreaking revolutionary discovery that will change the way we do screening for explosive threats we have developed the capability to do

00:00:33 direct realtime detection of explosive vapor from low volatility explosives this capability will greatly enhance the ability to screen people baggage and cargo for explosives this is a demonstration of the real-time Vapor detection capability developed here at pnnl this is an ionization Source built at pnnl for the selective ionization of

00:00:57 explosive compounds this is a reactor ction tube which provides a longer residence time and enables enhanced Vapor detection of explosives this is a commercial Mass spectrometer and the interface of the ionization source with the reaction tube to the mass spectrometer will enable the rapid commercialization of this technology this is a glass microscope

00:01:22 slide with no sample on it here we sample The Vapor coming off the slide and as a blank you see no response for for either the RDX and P10 on the left hand side or P10 on the right hand side of the screen here is a similar glass slide that was spiked with about 5 microG of RDX over a year ago when we sample The Vapor coming off

00:01:45 the glass slide we see the response to RDX on the left side of the screen but no PN response on the right this is another glass microscope slide now with the residue of PN on the surface when we sample the vapor from the PN slide we see a response for the ptn on the right side of the [Music] screen C4 is a plastic explosive that

00:02:23 contains predominantly RDX and this is a vial containing C4 you can see the cardiac response coming off of the C4 out of this [Music] file direct real-time Vapor detection represents a scientific advancement that has long been desired for security purposes this core Discovery is a major breakthrough in explosives detection

00:02:59 technology