Engineering topics

Atkinson, David A.

Publications and source records attributed to Atkinson, David A..

3 records

DOE OSTI2023

Collection, release, and detection of analytes with polymer composite sampling materials

A unique fiber core sampler composition, related systems, and techniques for designing, making, and using the same are described. The sampler is used to interface with existing field instrumentation, such as Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) equipment. Desired sampler characteristics include its: stiffness/flexibility; thermal mass and conductivity; specific heat; trace substance collection/release dependability, sensitivity and repeatability; thickness; reusability; durability; stability for thermal cleaning; and the like. In one form the sampler has a glass fiber core with a thickness less than 0.3 millimeter that is coated with a polymer including one or more of: polymeric organofluorine, polyimide, polyamide, PolyBenzlmidazole (PBI), PolyDiMethylSiloxane (PDMS), sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene (PFSA) and Poly(2,6-diphenyl-p-phenylene Oxide) (PPPO). Multiple polymer coatings with the same or different polymer types may be included, core/substrate surface functionalization utilized, and/or the core/substrate may be at partially filled with thermally conductive particles.

Addleman, Raymond S.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Collaborative Research and Development Program on Explosive Detection Technology

In September 2013, at the 6th Permanent Coordinating Group Meeting between the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), France expressed an interest in bilateral cooperation with the United States because its newly revised regulations that require enhanced explosives detection capabilities at nuclear and radiological facilities. In the ensuing years, PNNL (DOE/NNSA) and IRSN sought to identify an area of collaboration within explosives detection that would leverage the specific technical strengths of each organization. Based upon awareness of each other’s technical acumen gleaned from the scientific literature on explosives detection, it was clear that specific organizations within each nation could provide the needed expertise to enable enhancement of explosives detection through a collaborative development effort. The French lnstitut Saint-Louis was determined to be an optimal partner for IRSN to develop a collaboration with DOE/NNSA using PNNL’s detection team in this effort. Thus, the dialog was started between the technical experts at each organization to define where complementary expertise in explosives detection could be best leveraged. The technical plans and objectives of this project were sound with promising results. In the end, the joint action sheet was not implemented. The challenge with executing the project was in the complexity of getting a signed agreement between DOE, IRSN and ISL. Most of the obstacles surrounded the ability to protect intellectual property and obtain an agreement which included all of the parties. At a high level, this report documents the interactions and attempt to develop a cooperative framework for explosives detection development from FY 2014 through FY 2020.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Non-Contact Vapor Detection of Illicit Drugs via Atmospheric Flow Tube-Mass Spectrometry

Real-time, non-contact detection of illicit drugs is a desirable goal for the interdiction of these controlled substances, but the relatively low vapor pressures of such species present a challenge for trace vapor detection technologies. The introduction of atmospheric flow tube-mass spectrometry (AFT-MS), which has previously been demonstrated to detect gas-phase analytes at low parts-per-quadrillion levels for explosives and organophosphorus compounds, also enables the potential for non-contact drug detection. With AFT-MS, direct vapor detection of cocaine and methamphetamine from ~5 µg residues at room temperature is demonstrated herein. Furthermore, thermal desorption of low- to sub-picogram levels of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin is observed via AFT-MS using a carrier flow rate of several L/min of air. These low levels can permit non-contact sampling through collection of vapor, effectively preconcentrating the analyte before desorption and analysis. Quantitative evaluation of the thermal desorption approach has yielded limits of detection (LODs) on order of 10 fg for cocaine and fentanyl, 100 fg for methamphetamine, and 1.6 pg for heroin. The LOD for heroin was lowered to 200 fg by using tributyl phosphate as a dopant to form a proton-bound heterodimer with heroin. When used with AFT-MS, the intentional formation of specific drug-dopant adducts has the potential to enhance detection limits and selectivity of additional drug species. Species that are prone to form adducts present a challenge to analysis, but that difficulty can be overcome by the intentional addition of a dopant. Molecules unlikely to form adducts will remain essentially unimpacted, but the adduct-forming species will interact with the dopant to compress the analyte signal into a single peak. This approach would be valuable in the application of non-contact screening for illicit substances via vapor collection followed by thermal desorption for analysis.

methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, atmosp↗