Low power explosive detection exploiting the time domain (2022-2025)

This project aims to create new fluorescent materials and methods to selectively detect explosives at trace levels in a compact, low-power device. The project expects to develop design rules for new materials based on their interactions with explosives, create new analytical methods for evaluating the materials, and invent new sensing protocols. Expected outcomes will be sensors that can detect rapidly and sensitively, with the selectivity required for deployment. This should provide significant benefits including a fundamental understanding of sensing processes that can be applied to a range of chemical threats, and an applied outcome, namely sensing materials for explosives that can be used in a handheld low power detector.