Mass Spectrometry Vapor Detection Makes Airport Security Easier

At airports, the same technology used by TSA agents to scan your hands, laptops, and more“Trace detection”a form of——Ion mobility spectroscopy. Within seconds, the sample is first vaporized into chemical ions, and the detector uses its molecular size and shape to identify whether it is an explosive, and if it is, it triggers an alarm. However, when there are many objects to be tested, this method becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive, and its effectiveness largely depends on the sampling level of the staff. In addition, this technique requires contact sampling, which means that security personnel have to touch surfaces where residues may be present. So when the bad guys aren't going to go through security and their personal belongings don't have a chance to be searched, the technology is useless. Others rely on dogs trained to use their keen sense of smell to sniff out explosives. But behind the routine deployment of detection dogs means extremely heavy logistics and training. At the same time, the direct use of dog close-up detection may also be offensive to travelers from certain special cultural backgrounds. As a result, researchers have long been working on developing a new type of canine-like“sniff”Chemical detection technology for the release of explosive vapors. But many attempts over the years have failed due to insufficient sensitivity. In response to this problem, our research group has been engaged in research work for nearly 20 years and has made great progress. Getting more and more sensitive The biggest difficulty in designing a technology that can rival a dog's nose is that the saturated vapor pressure of most explosives is very, very low. of a material“Equilibrium Vapor Pressure”Basically, how much of the material is present in the air (that is, how much is detectable) under ideal conditions at a particular temperature. Nitrogen-containing organic explosives (such as TNT, RDX, and PETN) commonly used by militaries around the world have an equilibrium vapor pressure of only about one part in a trillion. In other words, if the vapors of these explosives are to be reliably sniffed out in real working environments, such as crowded and busy boarding areas in airports, detectors must have a sensitivity of parts per trillion (ppq). Level. But this is beyond the capabilities of trace detection equipment. Remember, having a detection level of 325ppq is equivalent to being able to find a particular tree across the entire planet. However, recent research has pushed detection levels to the one-trillionth range. In 2008, an international team used an advanced ionization technique called secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to achieve a detection level better than the one-trillionth level required to detect TNT and PETN. In 2012, our research group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) successfully performed direct, real-time detection of RDX vapors with equilibrium vapor pressures below 25 ppq by using atmospheric flow tube mass spectrometry (AFT-MS). The sensitivity of a mass spectrometer depends on how many target molecules can be ionized and transferred into the mass spectrometer for detection. The more fully this process is carried out, the higher its sensitivity will be. What is special about our AFT-MS design is that it uses time to maximize the chance of collisions between the explosive vapor molecules and the air ions produced by the ion source. It is the degree of reaction between these air ions and explosive molecules that determines the sensitivity. The use of AFT-MS enables us today to detect a range of explosives with equilibrium vapor pressures below the 10 ppq level. The schematic diagram of the perfect and concise AFT-MS device. Next step: put it into practical use. Therefore, the explosive chemical detection instrument we have developed is no longer subject to contact sampling, but can be used like dogs.“sniff”Smell of explosives. The instrument offers exciting new possibilities for security inspections: first, it has a similar canine-like ability to detect explosive vapors, and second, it can work continuously and uninterrupted. Sampling for trace detection no longer requires direct contact with the suspect item to be tested. Engineers can design a non-invasive“walk-through”Explosive detection devices, such as those we commonly see metal detectors. The real innovation of this technology is its extreme sensitivity, which allows for direct detection of steam plumes. So we no longer have to collect explosive particles and then vaporize them (such as the use of very noisy air nozzles to remove particles from people in past trace detection techniques). Now, higher sensitivity means we can continuously sample the air for explosive molecules as travelers pass by. This technical means will undoubtedly make airport security checks easier, and at the same time, it can greatly improve the throughput capacity of the security checkpoints and improve the experience of passengers. We could also place this type of device at the entrance of an airport terminal or other public facility, where the explosives can be detected as soon as they enter the building (rather than only when the explosives pass through the security checkpoint)
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