Abstract: A system for the non-contact detection of analyte chemicals, including explosives, chemical warfare agents and the like, employs a non-equilibrium plasma that is maintained at a temperature sufficiently low so as to avoid thermal damage to a surface, such as clothing or skin, that is being examined to thereby produce analyte ions and other charged particles. The ions are collected and passed into a sensor for detection and identification.

Abstract: A system for the stand-off detection of trace amounts of analyte materials such as explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, and the like includes an ion source that is operably connected to an ion collection means and to a sensor. The ion source employs a first gas that is passed through an electrical discharge to produce metastable gas molecules as well as charged particles of various kinds. Ions and other charged particles are removed from the first gas which is then reacted with a second gas having a lower ionization potential to obtain reactant ions of relatively uniform energy. The reactant ions are focused and accelerated into a beam that is directed upon a surface, such as luggage or clothing that is being interrogated, to produce analyte ions which are collected and passed into the sensor that is preferably a differential mobility spectrometer.

Abstract: A char containing less than 5% volatile matter is produced by pryolyzing shredded scrap vehicle tires and other rubber scrap material in an externally heated retort until the rubber is completely decomposed and until the temperature of the gases produced by the pyrolysis process reaches at least 500° C. The char is then subjected to resonance disintegration of an intensity sufficient to produce an unltrafine, particulate carbon product. In a preferred embodiment, essentially 100% of the individual carbon product particles are smaller than about 8 microns, and that product displays a dispersion coefficient in rubber of greater than 87%. The surface properties of the carbon product particles may be further modified by reacting or coating the carbon with chemical compounds or coating agents during or immediately after the resonance disintegration to tailor the properties of the carbon product to its use.