Explosive Sensing Using Polymer Lasers

Abstract

Conjugated polymers are attractive materials that have been used to make a wide range of optoelectronic devices. Recently they have been used as explosive sensors as there is currently an urgent need for high sensitivity explosive detection due to the increased security issues across the world. This review outlines the attractive properties of organic polymers as gain media in lasers, and then focuses on the use of such lasers for explosive sensing applications. The combined advantages of fluorescent polymers and lasing promise explosive sensors with strongly enhanced sensitivity.

Keywords:

• Conjugated polymer
• distributed feedback laser
• explosives
• fluorescence quenching
• sensor