AFRL-Funded Researchers Develop Coin-Sized Bomb Detection Sensor Published July 16, 2008 By Maria Callier Air Force Office of Scientific Research ARLINGTON, Va. -- An AFRL-sponsored research team from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) created an inexpensive sensor that detects bombs made with improvised peroxide explosive devices. Earlier detection devices with similar characteristics were large and expensive, whereas the new sensor is the size of a penny and costs less than a dollar per device. UCSD has applied for a patent on the ultrathin sensor but awaits finalization regarding its licensing. Meanwhile, the new sensor has attracted the interest of potential licensing partners who favor its size, cost, and possible use in commercial applications. Drs. William Trogler, Andrew Kummel, and Ivan Schuller created the small sensor using ultrathin films composed of cobalt and copper, metals providing both the fast response time and the necessary sensitivity for detecting even minute amounts of peroxide vapors. The presence of peroxide in the environment causes the cobalt-based films to show a reduction in current, while the copper films reflect an increase. The low-power micro and nanosensors are ideally suited for small and micro unmanned air vehicle platforms, which can use the technology for remote sensing operations geared towards protecting personnel and facilities from chemical warfare agents. The team's chief challenge is to extend the array sensing approach to broader applications. Doing so will require the researchers to conduct further basic research towards understanding and controlling the interaction between the central metal ions in the sensor materials and the agents, toxins, and fuels encountered. Preliminary work with a sensing algorithm shows promise in yielding test results from an array, and the UCSD team hopes to develop this into a practical microsensing array platform for detecting a wide range of agents, toxins, and fuels, as well as specific manufactured odors.