Explosives detectionResearchers use bee venom to detect explosives
Using bee venom, researchers have developed new bomb detectors that are so sensitive they are capable of detecting a single molecule of an explosive; when chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) coated carbon nanotubes in bombolitins, protein fragments found in bee venom, they discovered that these proteins reacted with nitro-aromatic compounds like TNT at the molecular level; current bomb detectors rely on spectrometry which analyzes charged particles as they move through the air, which makes them far less sensitive than the recently developed bee-based detectors
Using bee venom, researchers have developed new bomb detectors that are so sensitive they are capable of detecting a single molecule of an explosive.
When chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) coated carbon nanotubes in bombolitins, protein fragments found in bee venom, they discovered that these proteins reacted with nitro-aromatic compounds like TNT at the molecular level.
Current bomb detectors rely on spectrometry which analyzes charged particles as they move through the air, which makes them far less sensitive than the recently developed bee-based detectors.
Michael Strano, the lead researcher on the project, explained, “Ion mobility spectrometers are widely deployed because they are inexpensive and very reliable. However, this next generation of nanosensors can improve upon this by having the ultimate detection limit, [detecting] single molecules of explosives at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.”
Improving on an earlier discovery, these new detectors are more accurate as they rely on a specially designed microscope to read shifts in the carbon nanotube’s fluorescent wavelength. These tubes give off a natural glow, but when they interact with various substances they will bind at the molecular level and the wavelength will change making the tube glow at a different intensity.
Rather than simply relying on the naked eye, researchers built a microscope that measures the specific changes in wavelength to ensure accurate readings.
“For a fluorescent sensor, using the intensity of the fluorescent light to read the signal is more error-prone and noisier than measuring a wavelength,” said Strano.
Researchers have identified various bombolitins which react differently to the various nitro-aromatic compounds allowing them to create a unique identifier for a specific type of explosive.
While Strano and his team have made significant strides in their research, their bomb sensor is not fully ready for deployment.
“It doesn’t mean that we are ready to put these onto a subway and detect explosives immediately. But it does mean that now the sensor itself is no longer the bottleneck,” Strano says. “If there’s one molecule in a sample, and if you can get it to the sensor, you can now detect and quantify it.”
