TNT (trinitrotoluene) is a common explosive that’s easy to make even in a makeshift basement lab, but detecting TNT reliably and accurately is difficult. TNT is a solid, and its low volatility makes it hard to detect from a distance. Existing detection systems are able to pick up one part per billion (one molecule of TNT in a billion molecules of air), but this detection rate is not considered reliable for airport security applications.
Researchers from the University of Strasbourg have found a solution to this problem by taking their inspiration for a new detection system from the silkmoth. The silkmoth can’t detect TNT, but it does have an extraordinary sense of smell. Its antennas are lined with a plethora of tiny organs capable of detecting sex hormones in very low concentrations.
In an article published in Angewandte Chemie, the researchers described a new detection system based on titanium dioxide nanotubes that mimic the structure of the silkmoth’s antennae. Supported on a 200-micron long and 30-micron wide silicon support, the nanotubes are able to detect 800 molecules of TNT per million billion molecules of air; the finding could revolutionize airport security.
Source: Science Daily
