Portable FT-NIR spectroscopic sensor for detection of chemical precursors of explosives using advanced prediction algorithms

Grammatikaki, Adamantia Maria; Raptakis, Adam; Gounaridis, Lefteris; Athanasopoulos, Andreas; Gounaridis, Dimitrios; Groumas, Panos; Dadoukis, Aris; Maltezos, Evangelos; Karagiannidis, Lazaros; Ouzounoglou, Eleftherios; Amditis, Angelos; Avramopoulos, H.; Kouloumentas, Christos

doi:10.1117/12.2624004

Cited by 1 publication

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“…NIR combined with multivariate data analysis has been applied in the last decade for the analysis of intact explosives [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. Interestingly, the approach proved successful for explosive trace detection on various substrates [24][25][26][27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The miniaturization of NIR analyzers has rapidly progressed over the years and facilitates new practical applications, such as the detection of bottled explosive liquids in airports [31,34,35]. The recent literature demonstrates that handheld NIR analyzers can identify subsets of explosives and precursors at high correct classification rates [32,33]. However, the use of portable NIR for real-time decision-making at the incident scene requires the technique to be highly selective across the full range of energetic materials potentially present.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rapid and On-Scene Chemical Identification of Intact Explosives with Portable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Analysis

Damme

Mestres-Fitó

Ramaker³

et al. 2023

Sensors

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There is an ongoing forensic and security need for rapid, on-scene, easy-to-use, non-invasive chemical identification of intact energetic materials at pre-explosion crime scenes. Recent technological advances in instrument miniaturization, wireless transfer and cloud storage of digital data, and multivariate data analysis have created new and very promising options for the use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in forensic science. This study shows that in addition to drugs of abuse, portable NIR spectroscopy with multivariate data analysis also offers excellent opportunities to identify intact energetic materials and mixtures. NIR is able to characterize a broad range of chemicals of interest in forensic explosive investigations, covering both organic and inorganic compounds. NIR characterization of actual forensic casework samples convincingly shows that this technique can handle the chemical diversity encountered in forensic explosive investigations. The detailed chemical information contained in the 1350–2550 nm NIR reflectance spectrum allows for correct compound identification within a given class of energetic materials, including nitro-aromatics, nitro-amines, nitrate esters, and peroxides. In addition, the detailed characterization of mixtures of energetic materials, such as plastic formulations containing PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) and RDX (trinitro triazinane), is feasible. The results presented illustrate that the NIR spectra of energetic compounds and mixtures are sufficiently selective to prevent false-positive results for a broad range of food-related products, household chemicals, raw materials used for the production of home-made explosives, drugs of abuse, and products that are sometimes used to create hoax improvised explosive devices. However, for frequently encountered pyrotechnic mixtures, such as black powder, flash powder, and smokeless powder, and some basic inorganic raw materials, the application of NIR spectroscopy remains challenging. Another challenge is presented by casework samples of contaminated, aged, and degraded energetic materials or poor-quality HMEs (home-made explosives), for which the spectral signature deviates significantly from the reference spectra, potentially leading to false-negative outcomes.

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