4.6 Article

Identification and Quantification of Explosives in Nanolitre Solution Volumes by Raman Spectroscopy in Suspended Core Optical Fibers

Journal

SENSORS
Volume 13, Issue 10, Pages 13163-13177

Publisher

MDPI AG
DOI: 10.3390/s131013163

Keywords

explosives detection; fiber sensors; Raman spectroscopy; chemical sensing; microstructured optical fibers

Funding

  1. ARC Super Science Fellowship scheme
  2. ARC Federation Fellowship
  3. Shanghai Municipal Education Commission

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A novel approach for identifying explosive species is reported, using Raman spectroscopy in suspended core optical fibers. Numerical simulations are presented that predict the strength of the observed signal as a function of fiber geometry, with the calculated trends verified experimentally and used to optimize the sensors. This technique is used to identify hydrogen peroxide in water solutions at volumes less than 60 nL and to quantify microgram amounts of material using the solvent's Raman signature as an internal calibration standard. The same system, without further modifications, is also used to detect 1,4-dinitrobenzene, a model molecule for nitrobenzene-based explosives such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT).

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