Standoff Imaging of Trace RDX Using Quantum Cascade Lasers

doi:10.1109/JSEN.2019.2940883

This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2021

Title: Standoff Imaging of Trace RDX Using Quantum Cascade Lasers

Full Record
Other Related Research

Abstract

We report on a standoff spectroscopic technique for detecting chemical residues on surfaces. An infrared (IR) camera was used in combination with a wavelength tunable mid-IR quantum cascade laser to acquire multispectral image arrays of a surface with explosive residue. IR spectral signatures of residue of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (commonly known as RDX) were extracted in the wavelength range 7.9 to 9.7 μm from the multispectral IR images. Detection of RDX was achieved for a lower surface concentration of 5 μg cm ^–2 and a higher surface concentration of 20 μg cm ^–2 at distances of 0.15 m and 1.5 m, respectively. We performed no background subtraction and the resulting IR spectra of RDX were compared with reference Fourier Transform IR Spectroscopy data that were acquired by placing 20 μg of RDX on a ZnS window. As a result, we found that the detection of RDX can be made with negligible interfering contribution of reflected IR photons from the substrate surface.

Authors:

^[1];

^[2]; Senesac, Larry R. ^[2]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: 2020-01-01

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Technologies Office (EE-4W)

OSTI Identifier:: 1580026

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-4A00-73448
Journal ID: ISSN 1530-437X

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: IEEE Sensors Journal

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 20; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1530-437X

Publisher:: IEEE

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; IR spectroscopy; chemical detection; multispectral imaging; sensing; quantum cascade lasers

Citation Formats


                    Datskos, Panos G., Morales-Rodriguez, Marissa E., and Senesac, Larry R. Standoff Imaging of Trace RDX Using Quantum Cascade Lasers.  United States: N. p., 2020. 
        Web.  doi:10.1109/JSEN.2019.2940883.

Copy to clipboard


                    Datskos, Panos G., Morales-Rodriguez, Marissa E., & Senesac, Larry R. Standoff Imaging of Trace RDX Using Quantum Cascade Lasers.  United States.  doi:10.1109/JSEN.2019.2940883.

Copy to clipboard


                    Datskos, Panos G., Morales-Rodriguez, Marissa E., and Senesac, Larry R. Wed .  
        "Standoff Imaging of Trace RDX Using Quantum Cascade Lasers".  United States.  doi:10.1109/JSEN.2019.2940883.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_1580026,

  title        = {Standoff Imaging of Trace RDX Using Quantum Cascade Lasers},

  author       = {Datskos, Panos G. and Morales-Rodriguez, Marissa E. and Senesac, Larry R.},

  abstractNote = {We report on a standoff spectroscopic technique for detecting chemical residues on surfaces. An infrared (IR) camera was used in combination with a wavelength tunable mid-IR quantum cascade laser to acquire multispectral image arrays of a surface with explosive residue. IR spectral signatures of residue of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (commonly known as RDX) were extracted in the wavelength range 7.9 to 9.7 μm from the multispectral IR images. Detection of RDX was achieved for a lower surface concentration of 5 μg cm –2 and a higher surface concentration of 20 μg cm –2 at distances of 0.15 m and 1.5 m, respectively. We performed no background subtraction and the resulting IR spectra of RDX were compared with reference Fourier Transform IR Spectroscopy data that were acquired by placing 20 μg of RDX on a ZnS window. As a result, we found that the detection of RDX can be made with negligible interfering contribution of reflected IR photons from the substrate surface.},

  doi          = {10.1109/JSEN.2019.2940883},

  journal      = {IEEE Sensors Journal},

  number       = 1,

  volume       = 20,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2020},

  month        = {1}

}

Copy to clipboard

Journal Article:

Free Publicly Available Full Text

This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2021

Publisher's Version of Record

DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2019.2940883

Other availability

Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Similar records in OSTI.GOV collections:

Standoff imaging of chemicals using IR spectroscopy

Conference Senesac, Larry R ; Thundat, Thomas George ; Morales Rodriguez, Marissa E

Here we report on a standoff spectroscopic technique for identifying chemical residues on surfaces. A hand-held infrared camera was used in conjunction with a wavelength tunable mid-IR quantum cascade laser (QCL) to create hyperspectral image arrays of a target with an explosive residue on its surface. Spectral signatures of the explosive residue (RDX) were extracted from the hyperspectral image arrays and compared with a reference spectrum. Identification of RDX was achieved for residue concentrations of 20 g per cm2 at a distance of 1.5 m, and for 5 g per cm2 at a distance of 15 cm.
Standoff Spectroscopy of Surface Adsorbed Chemicals

Journal Article Van Neste, Charles W ; Senesac, Larry R ; Thundat, Thomas George - Analytical Chemistry

Despite its immediate applications, selective detection of trace quantities of surface adsorbed chemicals, such as explosives, without physically collecting the sample molecules is a challenging task. Standoff spectroscopic techniques offer an ideal method of detecting chemicals without using a sample collection step. Though standoff spectroscopic techniques are capable of providing high selectivity, their demonstrated sensitivities are poor. Here we describe standoff detection of trace quantities of surface adsorbed chemicals using two quantum cascade lasers operated simultaneously, with tunable wavelength windows that match with absorption peaks of the analytes. This standoff method is a variation of photoacoustic spectroscopy, where scattered lightmore »« less
DOI: 10.1021/ac802364e
Infrared microcalorimetric spectroscopy using quantum cascade lasers

Journal Article Morales Rodriguez, Marissa E ; Senesac, Larry R ; Rajic, Slobodan ; ... - Optics Letters

We have investigated an infrared (IR) microcalorimetric spectroscopy technique that can be used to detect the presence of trace amounts of target molecules. The chemical detection is accomplished by obtaining the IR photothermal spectra of molecules absorbed on the surface of uncooled thermal micromechanical detectors. IR microcalorimetric spectroscopy requires no chemical specific coatings and the chemical specificity of the presented method is a consequence of the wavelength-specific absorption of IR photons from tunable quantum cascade lasers due to vibrational spectral bands of the analyte. We have obtained IR photothermal spectra for trace concentrations of RDX and a monolayer of 2-mercaptoethanol,more »« less
DOI: 10.1364/OL.38.000507
Influence of Structural Defects on Biomineralized ZnS Nanoparticle Dissolution: An In-Situ Electron Microscopy Study

Journal Article Eskelsen, Jeremy R. ; Xu, Jie ; Chiu, Michelle Y. ; ... - Environmental Science and Technology

The dissolution of metal sulfides, such as ZnS, plays an important role in the fate of metal contaminants in the environment. Here we have examined the dissolution behavior of ZnS nanoparticles synthesized via several abiotic and biological pathways. Specifically, the biogenic ZnS nanoparticles were produced by an anaerobic, metal-reducing bacterium Thermoanaerobacter sp. X513 in a Zn-amended, thiosulfate-containing growth medium, whereas the abiogenic ZnS nanoparticles were produced by mixing an aqueous Zn solution with either H ₂S-rich gas or Na ₂S solution. For biogenic synthesis, we prepared two types of samples, in the presence or absence of trace silver (Ag). Themore »« less
Cited by 6
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04343

Full Text Available
Standoff detection of turbulent chemical mixture plumes using a swept external cavity quantum cascade laser

Journal Article Phillips, Mark C. ; Brumfield, Brian E. - Optical Engineering

We demonstrate standoff detection of turbulent mixed-chemical plumes using a broadly-tunable external cavity quantum cascade laser (ECQCL). The ECQCL was directed through plumes of mixed methanol/ethanol vapor to a partially-reflective surface located 10 m away. The reflected power was measured as the ECQCL was swept over its tuning range of 930-1065 cm-1 (9.4-10.8 µm) at rates up to 200 Hz. Analysis of the transmission spectra though the plume was performed to determine chemical concentrations with time resolution of 0.005 s. Comparison of multiple spectral sweep rates of 2 Hz, 20 Hz, and 200 Hz shows that higher sweep rates reducemore »« less
DOI: 10.1117/1.OE.57.1.011003

Similar Records