Design and fabrication of a sensor for explosives as a first step to an IED detection device

We present the design and fabrication process for an electrochemical “electronic nose” type sensor. This metal oxide based system focuses on the detection of ammonia as a possible sign of Ammonium nitrate based explosives, the main ingredients used by Armed Groups outside the law in Colombia for their Improvised Explosive Devices. The characterization of the conductivity variations of the zinc oxide sensor was made by a voltage divisor with constant input and serial data acquisition using an Arduino Uno® and MatLab® software. This is the first step in a more complex system for improvised explosive devices.