Paper-Based Explosives Sensor Made Using an Inkjet

cylonlover writes "Detecting explosives is a vital task both on the battlefield and off, but it requires equipment that, if sensitive enough to detect explosives traces in small quantities, is often expensive, delicate and difficult to construct. Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute have developed a method of manufacturing highly sensitive explosives detectors incorporating RF components using Ink-jet printers. This holds the promise of producing large numbers of detectors at lower cost using local resources."

Comments

Almost any circuit can be printed

[iamhassi]

I'm tired of these articles from clueless reporters, do they not know what a circuit board is? It's simply copper connections between circuits. If you can put liquid copper or any highly conductive metal in a ink cartridge then you can create almost any electrical device with a inkjet printer.

Re:Almost any circuit can be printed

[Anonymous Coward]

"The process of creating the sensor involves printing carbon nanotubes on paper or "paper-like" materials, such as the plastic polyethylene terephthalate. The ink consists of silver nanoparticles held in an emulsion that can be passed through an ink-jet printer at a temperature of only 212 F (100 C). This ink is treated with ultrasonic waves in a process known as sonification, which alters the viscosity and makes the ink more homogeneous for greater effectiveness. As it sets, the ink forms into nanoscale cylinders called nanotubes. These are only one-billionth of a meter in diameter-about 1/50,000th the width of a human hair. When these nanotubes are coated with a conductive polymer that attracts ammonia it becomes an effective explosives sensor capable of detecting trace amounts of ammonia as low as five parts per million. With different coatings, the nanotubes can detect other gases."

Yeah, nothing more interesting than a variant of the old copper circuit board in this article.

Re:Just how common are those paper based explosive

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Big E-Books are pushing for a ban on paper books on airlines, so they can sell more E-Readers.

Re:Just how common are those paper based explosive

[c6gunner]

RTFS.

Apparently this doesn't detect explosives, anyway - it detects ammonia. The cleaning lady will set off every sensor on the base.

Re:Just how common are those paper based explosive

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Paper isn't usually the feedstock(cotton fibers are preferred); but my good friend Nitrocellulose is arguably a 'paper-based-explosive'. Heck, assuming your print head can take the pain, you could even use an inkjet to apply the nitric acid to the paper and produce a printed, paper-based explosive for the printed, paper-based explosive detector to detect...

Low cost!?!

[fph il quozientatore]

Low cost!?! Have these guys ever tried buying a new ink cartridge for an ink jet printer?

Re:Oh joy! Detectors everywhere!

[ForgedArtificer]

That really depends on what you are actually hiding - or not hiding - and why.

I don't think it's appropriate for people to walk around with explosives, no. I also don't think it's appropriate for government to have an unlimited ability to snoop on me as much as I want or come busting into my house because their piece of paper detected ammonia.

Privacy rights are not about protecting the people who are hiding bombs. They're about protecting the much larger section of the population who aren't.

Innocent until proven guilty, remember?