Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear / Explosives (CBRNE)

News and Updates

K9 Chemistry: A Safer Way to Train Detection Dogs

December 2, 2020

Trained dogs are incredible chemical sensors, far better at detecting explosives, narcotics and other substances than even the most advanced technological

Woman uses gas analysis mass spectrometer at NBS for chemical analysis of gas or vapor mixtures

NIST Adds New 'Fingerprints' to Chemical Identification Database

June 17, 2020

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its database of chemical fingerprints, called mass spectra, that are used to identify

Six people stand in front of a tan building, cutting a blue ribbon

NIST Unveils New Laboratory Building for Improved National Radiation Measurements

September 24, 2019

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to unveil a

Projects and Programs

DARPA Friend or Foe (FoF) -- Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V)

Ongoing

The development of new platforms for characterization of complex microbial samples are hampered by lack of reproducibility and comparability across different

First responders collecting samples of the yeast surrogate material during a field exercise. (Credit: NIST)

Standards to Support Biothreat Detection

Ongoing

First responders continually receive calls of suspicious materials that are potentially biothreat agents. Obtaining high confidence data from biological

Vapor Sampling to Support Public Safety and Forensics

Ongoing

We develop and evaluate dynamic headspace sampling methods to capture and concentrate vapors from single components (solid or liquid) to determine vapor

Thermal Desorption Ambient Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing

Thermal desorption ambient mass spectrometry decouples analyte desorption and ionization. Here, analytes are thermally desorbed directly from a primary surface

Publications

Open port sampling interface mass spectrometry of wipe-based explosives, oxidizers, and narcotics for trace contraband detection

July 19, 2021

Author(s)

Thomas P. Forbes, Jeffrey Lawrence, Changtong Hao, J Greg Gillen

Rapid screening for chemical traces of explosives and narcotics is widely used to support homeland security and law enforcement. These target compounds span a

Inorganic oxidizer detection from propellants, pyrotechnics, and homemade explosive powders using gradient elution moving boundary electrophoresis

February 1, 2021

Author(s)

Shannon T. Krauss, Thomas Forbes, Dillon Jobes

Advancement in rapid targeted chemical analysis of homemade and improvised explosive devices is critical for the identification of explosives-based hazards and

Water Migration and Swelling in Engineered Barrier Materials for Radioactive Waste Disposal

January 25, 2021

Author(s)

Joanna McFarlane, Lawrence M Anovitz, Michael C. Cheshire, Victoria H. DiStefano, Hassina Z. Bilheux, Jean-Christophe Bilheux, Luke L. Daemen, Richard E. Hale, Ronald L. Howard, A. J. Ramirez-Cuesta, Louis J. Santodonato, Markus Bleuel, Daniel S. Hussey, David L. Jacobson, Jacob LaManna, Edmund Perfect, Logan Qualls

Deep underground repositories are needed to isolate radioactive waste from the biosphere. Bentonite is an integral component of many multibarrier repository

GRADIENT ELUTION MOVING BOUNDARY ELECTROPHORESIS OF HOMEMADE FUEL-OXIDIZER EXPLOSIVES

September 21, 2020

Author(s)

Thomas Forbes, Shannon T. Krauss, Dillion Jobes

The analysis of complex samples without extensive preparation steps (e.g., filtration or centrifugation) is a persistent challenge for applications ranging from

Tools and Instruments

Cabinet x-ray system

The Smiths Detection 6046si cabinet x-ray system was designed for security screening of bags, parcels and other objects of similar size. The system runs at 160

X-ray Backscatter Systems

X-ray backscatter systems are used for the screening of personnel for hidden weapons and other contraband. Unlike conventional radiographic x-ray systems