Design and manufacture of TNT explosives detector sensors based on GFET

Abstract

Purpose

Smart sensors based on graphene field effect transistor (GFET) and biological receptors are regarded as a promising nanomaterial that could be the basis for future generation of low-power, faster, selective real-time monitoring of target analytes and smaller electronics. So, the purpose of this paper is to provide details of sensors based on selective nanocoatings by combining trinitrotoluene (TNT) receptors (Trp-His-Trp) bound to conjugated polydiacetylene polymers on a graphene channel in GFET for detecting explosives TNT.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an introduction, this paper describes the way of manufacturing of the GFET sensor by using investigation methods for transferring graphene sheet from Cu foil to target substrates, which is functionalized by the TNT peptide receptors, to offer a system which has the capability of answering the presence of related target molecules (TNT). Finally, brief conclusions are drawn.

Findings

In a word, shortly after graphene discovery, it has been explored with a variety of methods gradually. Because of its exceptional electrical properties (e.g. extremely high carrier mobility and capacity), electrochemical properties such as high electron transfer rate and structural properties, graphene has already showed great potential and success in chemical and biological sensing fields. Therefore, the authors used a biological receptor with a field effect transistor (FET) based on graphene to fabricate sensor for achieving high sensitivity and selectivity that can detect explosive substances such as TNT. The transport property changed compared to that of the FET made by intrinsic graphene, that is, the Dirac point position moved from positive Vg to negative Vg, indicating the transition of graphene from p-type to n-type after annealing in TNT, and the results show the bipolar property change of GFET with the TNT concentration and the possibility to develop a robust, easy-to-use and low-cost TNT detection method for performing a sensitive, reliable and semi-quantitative detection in a wide detection range.

Originality/value

In this timeframe of history, TNT is a common explosive used in both military and industrial settings. Its convenient handling properties and explosive strength make it a common choice in military operations and bioterrorism. TNT and other conventional explosives are the mainstays of terrorist bombs and the anti-personnel mines that kill or injure more than 15,000 people annually in war-torn countries. In large, open-air environments, such as airports, train stations and minefields, concentrations of these explosives can be vanishingly small – a few parts of TNT, for instance, per trillion parts of air. That can make it impossible for conventional bomb and mine detectors to detect the explosives and save lives. So, in this paper, the authors report a potential solution with design and manufacture of a GFET sensor based on a biological receptor for real-time detection of TNT explosives specifically.

Citation

Masoumi, S., Hajghassem, H., Erfanian, A. and Molaei Rad, A. (2018), "Design and manufacture of TNT explosives detector sensors based on GFET", Sensor Review, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 181-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/SR-08-2017-0167