materialsscienceandengineering:
New material lights up when detecting explosives
Scientists have created a material which turns fluorescent if there are molecules from explosives in the vicinity. The discovery could improve, for example, airport security – and also it gives us an insight into a rather chaotic micro-world where molecules and atoms constantly are responding to their surroundings.
Unlike humans, dogs’ noses are so sensitive that they can smell explosives in the vicinity. They can detect single molecules in the air, and thus they may be valuable helpers when it comes to detecting explosives.
Inspired by such talents, science is devoting many resources on developing electronic or chemical “noses” which similarly can detect explosives molecules and thus warn that explosives may be hiding in the vicinity.
Researchers from University of Southern Denmark now report the creation of a new material, consisting of a set of molecules which react when encountering explosives molecules in their vicinity. The set consists of the molecules TTF-C[4]P and TNDCF.
TNDCF has the special talent that it becomes fluorescent when an explosives molecule is introduced to the set of molecules.
This is cool and pretty useful.
via Tumblr http://bit.ly/1TP9GeI
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