The sobering reality is that homeland security is unique in the field of analytical chemistry. In an industry such as the baby formula industry, a change in process can end a contamination scare and for the most part, prevent a future recurrence.
The sobering reality is that homeland security is unique in the field of analytical chemistry. In an industry such as the baby formula industry, a change in process can end a contamination scare and for the most part, prevent a future recurrence. Likewise the peanut butter and dog food industries, which have gone through similar scares in the past few years. Even water purity issues can be resolved successfully by and large, with new regulations on acceptable limits of toxins preventing further illnesses, as can issues inherent in the pharmaceutical production process.
David Walsh
However, in the field of homeland security research, there often is no finish line. The opponent in this case is an intelligent one that can intentionally change shape and appearance at will. Even though techniques and technologies exist to identify trace explosives, anthrax virus, and more, as the Christmas Day bombing attempt illustrates, there will never be a technology to prevent someone from attempting to harm others. Because of this, the area of homeland security research remains one of the most important in the field of analytical chemistry and in society as a whole. The mutable nature of this field and the changing targets faced by researchers are reflected here, in this edition of "Defense and Homeland Security."
Here, you will find articles on topics you would expect, such as explosives detection and CWA detection. However, tellingly, there is more content devoted to identifying forgeries than ever before. With false documentation paving the way for most terror attempts, this is a hotter area than ever before, and requires an immediate response on the part of the research community.
As always, we hope you will find this supplement useful and valuable in your everyday work, and in addition, we hope it helps readers discover a newfound appreciation for those researchers on the front lines of defense and homeland security research and the critical work they do. They certainly deserve it.
David Walsh
Editor-in-Chief
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
Achieving Accurate IR Spectra On Monolayer of Molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.