Detection of Landmine Signature using SAW-based Polymer-coated Chemical Sensor

Authors

  • O. K. Kannan Centre for Fire, Explosive & Environment Safety, Delhi
  • Rashmi Bhalla Centre for Fire, Explosive & Environment Safety, Delhi
  • J. C. Kapoor Centre for Fire, Explosive & Environment Safety, Delhi
  • A. T. Nimal Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi
  • U. Mittal Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi
  • R.D.S. Yadava Solid State Physics Laboratory, Delhi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.54.2044

Keywords:

Chemical vapour signature, landmine detection, chemical sensor, polymer-coated sensor, polymer-based sensor, carbowax 1000, explosive material

Abstract

The explosive charge within a landmine is the source for a mixture of chemical vapours that form a distinctive chemical signature indicative of a landmine. The concentrations of these compounds in the air over landmines is extremely low (parts-per-trillion or lower), well below the minimum detection limits of most field-portable chemical sensors. This paper describes a portable  surface acoustic wave-based polymer-coated sensor for the detection of hidden explosives. The sensitivity and selectivity of polymer-based sensors depend on several factors including the chemo-selective coating used, the physical properties of the vapour(s) of interest, the selected transducers, and the operating conditions. The polymer-based sensor was calibrated in the  laboratory using the explosive vapour generator. The preliminary results indicated that the carbowax 1000 could be a very good chemical interface to sense low levels of chemical signature of explosive material. Response for 50 ppb of TNT vapours was observed to be 400 Hz for an exposure of 2 min.

Downloads

Published

2004-07-01

How to Cite

Kannan, O. K., Bhalla, R., Kapoor, J. C., Nimal, A. T., Mittal, U., & Yadava, R. (2004). Detection of Landmine Signature using SAW-based Polymer-coated Chemical Sensor. Defence Science Journal, 54(3), 309–315. https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.54.2044

Issue

Section

Applied Physics & Fluid Dynamics

Most read articles by the same author(s)