KINGSTON, R.I., Dec. 29, 2015 \u2013 Dogs have been used for decades to sniff out explosives, but now a 溏心vlog免费B站 scientist and his team have come up with another way to detect bombs: sensors.<\/p>\n
Otto J. Gregory, professor of chemical engineering and co-director of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Sensors and Surface Technology Partnership, has developed a sensor that can detect explosives commonly used by terrorists. One of these explosives is triacetone triperoxide, or TATP.<\/p>\n
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Triacetone triperoxide has been used by terrorists worldwide, from the 2001 \u201cshoe bomber\u201d Richard Reid to the suicide bombers who attacked residents of Paris in November. The explosive is relatively easy to make with chemicals that can be bought at pharmacies and hardware stores, attracting little attention from authorities.<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s work focuses on creating a sensor that continuously detects vapors emitted by the explosive.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how it works: A tin oxide catalyst in the sensor causes the triacetone triperoxide molecule to decompose at a specific temperature. The sensor monitors the amount of heat released by the decomposition and triggers an alarm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe initiate the decomposition of the molecule using a catalyst and then measure the heat released,\u201d says Gregory, of Kingston. \u201cIf the amount released can be measured, we can identify the molecule responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes Gregory\u2019s research\u2014published in the journal Electrochemical Society Transactions\u2014even more significant is that his sensor could be used round-the-clock in various public places, from boarding areas in airports and subways to ports of entry for cargo containers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone carrying TATP were to walk by in a relatively confined space, the sensor could detect it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt works 24\/7.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory says sensors are the future of trace explosive detection systems. Not only does his sensor detect TATP, it can also determine if ammonium nitrate, TNT and other explosives are present.<\/p>\n
Dogs can still be trained to track down explosives at very low levels, but sensors are a better long-term solution to continuous screening of these substances, Gregory says.<\/p>\n
\u201cDogs have short attention span and can be distracted,\u201d he says. \u201cFor the first hour or so, they\u2019re really good at detecting explosives. Then their minds wander. It\u2019s like a little kid. What our sensors do is continuously sniff 24\/7. Dogs need to rest for periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next step is to reduce the sensor to a manageable size\u2014maybe the size of a shoebox or smaller. Meanwhile, Gregory and his colleagues at 溏心vlog免费B站 will continue to play a key role in making the world a safer place.<\/p>\n
\u201c溏心vlog免费B站 professors and students are doing cutting edge research in the areas of explosive characterization and detection,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to make buildings, stadiums, airports and subways safer for the traveling public. Our research will go a long way in achieving this goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s work is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2008, 溏心vlog免费B站 was awarded $5.15 million from the federal agency to launch a Center of Excellence in Explosives, Detection, Mitigation, Response and Characterization for research on explosives and detection of explosives. 溏心vlog免费B站 has received additional funding since then.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaculty and students at 溏心vlog免费B站 have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to research explosives and explosive detection methods,\u201d Gregory says. \u201cIn the process we have addressed some of the safety and security concerns, both here in the United States and abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s research team is also working on sensors for jet engines that would make aircraft safer and more reliable. Part of this research focuses on ways to eliminate messy wiring by relying on wireless sensor technologies.<\/p>\n
Gregory received his bachelor of science degrees in chemical engineering and ocean engineering from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1975, a master\u2019s degree in chemical engineering from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1977, and a doctorate in engineering from Brown University in 1983.<\/p>\n
He has researched sensors for harsh environments for more than 30 years and has authored or co-authored 90 peer-reviewed journal articles that have provided background for 25 U.S. patents. In addition to Homeland Security, he has received funding from NASA, the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and private industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I., Dec. 29, 2015 \u2013 Dogs have been used for decades to sniff out explosives, but now a 溏心vlog免费B站 scientist and his team have come up with another way to detect bombs: sensors. Otto J. Gregory, professor of chemical engineering and co-director of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Sensors and Surface Technology Partnership, has developed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}