Systems for explosive detection

Abstract: Laser-induced break down spectroscopy (LIBS) has been considered one of the techniques with larger ability for trace detection of explosives. However, despite of the high-sensitivity exhibited for this application, LIBS suffers from a limited selectivity due to difficulties in assigning the molecular origin of the spectral emissions observed. This circumstance makes the recognition of finger prints a latent challenging problem. This project aims at the sorting explosives (as chloratite, ammonal, DNT, TNT, RDX and PETN) against abroad list of potential harmless interferents (as butter, fuel oil, hand-cream, olive oil, …), all of them in the form of fingerprints deposited on the surfaces of objects. LIBS information needed to be processed through a multi-stage architecture algorithm built from a suitable combination of learning classifiers in order to label the unknown finger print into a particular class. Several neural network classifiers will be used and trained and the efficiency of the proposed procedure assessed.

Graphical abstract of Moros et al. 2013. 

Researchers: UMA Laser Lab, Jorge Macías Sánchez, Carlos Sánchez Linares, Francisco J. Gallego

Partners: INDRA, PORTEL, Arquimea Ingeniería, Alfa Imaging, Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia, DAS Photonics, GATESA, ISDEFE, Metro Madrid, Multiscan Technologies y Ramem.

Related project: Project SEDUCE (System for Explosive Detection – Sistemas para la Detección de Explosivos en Centros e Infraestructuras públicas) financed by «Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI) – Programa CENIT»

Patent: “Métodos para la identificación de compuestos químicos peligrosos mediante métodos de aprendizaje automático y espectroscopia de plasmas inducidos por láser (LIBS)”
        – Inventors: Jorge Macías Sánchez y José Javier Laserna Vázquez
        – Application number: P201400139   
        – Date: 19/2/2014
        – Titular entity: Universidad de Málaga

iMAT research line:       RL3. Modeling Environmental Systems & Risk analysis.

Highlighted articles:

  • Moros, J. Serrano, C. Sánchez, J. Macías, J.J. Laserna, 2012, J. Anal. At. Spectrom. DOI: 10.1039/C2JA30230F (I.F.: 3.155, CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL 17/75 (Q1), SPECTROSCOPY 7/43 (Q1)).
  • Moros, J. Serrano, F.J. Gallego, J. Macías, J.J. Laserna, 2013, TALANTA. DOI: DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2013.02.026 (I.F.: 3.511, CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL 12/76 (Q1)).
  • Serrano, J. Moros, C. Sánchez, J. Macías, J.J. Laserna, 2014. Analytica Chimica. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2013.11.035 (I.F.: 4.513, CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL 5/74 (Q1)).