Sensing trace amounts of nitro-aromatic explosives using nanowire-nanocluster hybrids

Geetha S. Aluri; Abhishek Motayed; Albert V. Davydov; Vladimir Oleshko; Kris A. Bertness; Norman A. Sanford; Mulpuri V. Rao

doi:10.1117/12.920789

7 May 2012 Sensing trace amounts of nitro-aromatic explosives using nanowire-nanocluster hybrids

Geetha S. Aluri, Abhishek Motayed, Albert V. Davydov, Vladimir Oleshko, Kris A. Bertness, Norman A. Sanford, Mulpuri V. Rao

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8373, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications IV; 83732U (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.920789
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

The threat of terrorism and the need for homeland security calls for advanced technologies to detect the concealed explosives safely and efficiently. We demonstrated highly sensitive and selective detection of traces of nitroaromatic explosive compounds by functionalizing gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoclusters to address this issue. The hybrid sensor devices were developed by fabricating two-terminal devices using individual GaN nanowires (NWs) followed by the deposition of TiO₂ nanoclusters (NCs) using sputtering technique. The photo-modulated GaN/TiO₂ NWNC hybrids showed remarkable selectivity to benzene and related aromatic compounds, with no measureable response for other analytes at room temperature. This paper presents the sensing characteristics of GaN/TiO₂ nanowire-nanocluster hybrids towards the different aromatic and nitroaromatic compounds at room temperature. The GaN/TiO₂ hybrids were able to detect trinitrotoluene (TNT) concentrations as low as 500 pmol/mol (ppt) in air and dinitrobenzene concentrations as low as 10 nmol/mol (ppb) in air in approximately 30 s. The noted sensitivity range of the devices for TNT was from 8 ppm down to as low as 500 ppt. The detection limit of Dinitrotoluene , nitrobenzene , nitrotoluene, toluene and benzene in air is 100 ppb with a response time of ~ 75 s. The devices show very sensitive and selective response to TNT when compared to interfering compounds like toluene. Integration of this nano-scale technology could lead to tiny, highly sensitive, selective, low-power and smart explosive detectors that could be manufactured cheaply in large numbers.

Citation Download Citation

Geetha S. Aluri, Abhishek Motayed, Albert V. Davydov, Vladimir Oleshko, Kris A. Bertness, Norman A. Sanford, and Mulpuri V. Rao "Sensing trace amounts of nitro-aromatic explosives using nanowire-nanocluster hybrids", Proc. SPIE 8373, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications IV, 83732U (7 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.920789

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
6 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Gallium nitride

Sensors

Titanium dioxide

Explosives

Nanowires

Explosives detection

Nanotechnology

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years