Researchers at the University of Surrey have developed a new method to identify materials that could be used to build explosives in just 30 seconds.

To develop the new technique, the researchers built upon previous work that used a paper-spray mass spectrometer, which is a tool for measuring mass to charge ratio of one or more molecules in a sample, to quickly identify explosive materials. Since the cost of this technique was high, the researchers turned instead to a portable mass spectrometer and replaced the paper substrate in the paper spray with swabbing material.

Unlike the thermal-based detection systems currently in use that are prone to false positives, researchers believe the new swab-spray method is sensitive enough to detect a wider range of substances, including nitrotoluenes, trinitrotriazine, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine and nitroglycerine. Some of these substances have reportedly been components of devices used in high-profile terrorist attacks. The researchers believe the technique has the potential to improve security at airports.

Dr. Patrick Sears, co-author of the paper from the University of Surrey, said: "The critical advantage of this system is the ability to uniquely identify the explosive being detected, making it much less likely to create false alarms. The selectivity of this system means that it could also be used to identify a range of other threat materials whilst the sensitivity would allow the detection of invisible traces of explosives."

The research is published in the journal Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics and Forensic Science International: Synergy.