杏吧原创

Glowing nanowires have been developed to detect traces of explosives. The
nanowires, which are made from silicon-based polymers called polysiloles,
fluoresce when ultraviolet light is shone on them. But when TNT or picric
acid鈥攁 chemical used to make explosives鈥攃omes into contact with the
nanowires, it oxidises them and stops the wires fluorescing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a
glowing light bulb filament that suddenly comes into contact with
oxygen鈥攖he light burns out,鈥� says their creator, Michael Sailor of the
University of California at San Diego. The nanowires can be dissolved in
solvents and sprayed on filter paper, for example, to detect the chemicals in
water samples.