Ultra-portable explosives sensor based on a CMOS fluorescence lifetime analysis micro-system

Abstract

The paper published in AIP Advances (a new journal from the American Institute of Physics) had 1100 article downloads in the first 5 months after publication, and was on the journal’s “most read” list for 4 months. The work was featured by AIP in a Physics News Highlight and press release which resulted in >50 international internet articles and an article in Laser Focus World.This work explores the use of a green-light-emitting copolymer as a chemosensor to detect nitroaromatic-based explosive vapors by recording photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL decay. We show successful detection of 10 ppb 1,4-dinitrobenzene (DNB) vapor. Both a conventional time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) device and CMOS time-resolved fluorescence lifetime microsystem are used in the DNB detection. An ultra-portable on-site explosive sensor based on the micro-system has also been demonstrated. This gives rise to the potential for real-time, reliable, inexpensive organic/inorganic hybrid explosives detection.Peer reviewe