Explosive, poison substances and drugs can be discovered instantly with the help of a new-generation device developed by Russian researchers. The main unit of the device is the X-radiation detector based on unique nanotechnologies.

Nowadays it is impossible to do without radiation detectors. They are used for medical diagnostics of people's internal and ecological monitoring of environment, for X-raying of non-transparent objects, in dosimetry and elementary-particle physics.

Researchers from the Institute of Solid-State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, have developed such a 3D X-ray detector able to instantly discover drugs and poisons, explosives and other hazardous substances which are hidden in automobiles and containers, in the luggage and other unexpected objects. Each chemical substance possesses spectral and angular distributions of X-raying radiation inherent only in it. This property is employed in antiterrorist devices.

How is the device arranged? Its operating section is the detector itself formed by crossing rows of scintillation fibers, the density of which is gradually increasing from the first row of fibers to the last one. Such arrangement of the detector allows at different values of X-radiation energy to simultaneously get images of objects hidden inside travel facilities. The PC compares differences in contrasts of investigated objects at different energies to reference substances' contrasts and determines chemical composition of each of discovered objects. The substances that arouse suspicion are investigated additionally by the same detector judging by angular distribution of diffracted X-radiation.

Creation of such detectors became possible due to methods of nanocrystal materials synthesis, plastic forming and profiled crystal growth developed at the Institute of Solid-State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences. The researchers managed not only to improve engineering factors of detectors - to make them energy-effective and quick - but also to reduce their cost price significantly.

"The detectors developed at the Institute of Solid-State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, have successfully passed testing at the "Metorskan"motor transport raying installation and in the computed X-ray tomograph. New technologies of their manufacturing have been confirmed by the RF patents.

At the Vth Moscow International Innovations and Investment Salon in 2005, the development on new materials and technologies for radiation detectors was awarded with the Golden Medal of the Salon", said the authors.Olga Baklizkaja

Further information: N.V. Klassen, Ph. D., Institute of Solid-State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Region, Chernogolovka, Tel.: + 7 (495)
993 2755, klassen@issp.ac.ru