The diagnostic test strips have been around for decades and are one of the most common testing technology in clinical practice. The key reason for their acceptance is ease of use. A different new application for this established technology will be presented: homemade explosives detection in the field; here, the ease of use under high stress conditions is critical. Rapid and reliable screening for explosives materials and their precursors is crucial, as recipes and detailed instructions on how to make HMEs using common household items are abundant on the internet. Most commercially available field kits rely on colorimetric liquid chemistry. The hazardous chemical reagents needed for analysis, such as strong acids and/or flammable solvents are contained in glass ampules or dropper bottle and have to be mixed on site in careful order and timed steps. Once the ampules are broken and bottles are opened, the shelf life of these kits gets reduced, sometimes to a few days. Most laboratory (academia) paper devices for explosives detection are based on printing the chemical reagents on separate sites of the device and waiting for capillary action of the solvent(s) to mix them and contact the suspicious target. A very short shelf life and long reaction times make the use of such devices problematic in the field. Test Strip technology offers a robust alternative: a test strip for bulk detection and identification of chemicals. The suspect powder is wetted with water and transferred with a foam swab to the indicator pads containing all reagents needed for chemical analysis. Within one minute, up to five possible threats are screened in one step and identified based on specific color patterns. Performance data under harsh environmental conditions will be presented with specific examples.

Test strip technology for field detection of explosives

254th National Meeting (2017)

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