Electronic polymer based low-cost sensor developed to detect explosives rapidly

Indian scientists, for the first time, have developed a thermally stable and cost-effective electronic polymer-based sensor for rapidly detecting nitro-aromatic chemicals used in high-energy explosives
The detection of explosives without destroying them is essential for protection, and criminal investigations, minefield remediation, military applications, ammunition remediation sites, security applications
Non-destructive sensing of nitroaromatic chemicals (NACs) is difficult.
Scientists has developed a layer by layer (LBL) polymer detector consisting of two organic polymers -- poly-2-vinyl pyridine with acrylonitrile (P2VP-Co-AN) and copolysulfone of cholesterol methacrylate with hexane (PCHMASH)
This LBL polymer detector undergoes a drastic change in impedance (resistance in an ac circuit) in the presence of very low concentration of NACs vapour within few seconds.
An electronic sensing device build around a polymer gas sensor can quickly detect the explosive on-site