An infrared spectroscopy based explosives detection system using a quantum cascade laser (QCL) as excitation source was used to record mid infrared spectral signals of highly energetic materials (HEM) deposited on real world substrates such as travel baggage, cardboard and wood. The HEMs used were nitroaromatic military explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT), aliphatic nitrate ester pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and aliphatic nitramine hexahydrotrinitrotriazine (RDX). Various deposition methods including sample smearing, spin coating, spray deposition and partial immersion were evaluated for preparing samples and standards used as part of the study. Chemometrics statistical routines such as principal component analysis (PCA) regression with various preprocessing steps were applied to the recorded infrared spectra of explosives deposited as trace contaminants on target substrates. The results show that the dispersive infrared vibrational technique investigated using QCL is useful for detection of HEMs in the types of substrates studied.

Date Published: 29 May 2013
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8710, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XIV, 871010 (29 May 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2016037

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8710:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XIV
Augustus Way Fountain III, Editor(s)