Synthesis and test of suitable adsorbers for selectively trapping and detecting explosives and improvised explosives precursors from gasphase

To counteract terrorists' threats posed by explosives and improvised explosives devices there are needs for reliable, rapid, highly sensitive and selective detection measures. Our approach is to develop molecularly imprinted polymers, MIPs, on the one hand as particulate substance selective sample enrichment materials to trap and enrich explosives traces from air. On the other hand we develop layered MIPs as selective sensor coating layers to be combined with different low cost sensor platforms (e.g. QCM, SAW, Gas-FET etc.) as portable, handheld sensor units or in fixed sensor networks capable to detect explosives, taggents or precursors from air. A relatively new work stream at ICT is also looking into the application of so called MOFs, metal organic frameworks as selective adsorber materials. MOF may be used as particulate materials or as layered coatings as well. In the current presentation a short overview will be given about the studied synthesis and coating technologies, the used characterization techniques as well as the already achieved results.