Detection of aromatic nitro compounds using preconcentrator and SPR immunosensor

In this study, we report the sensitive detection of aromatic nitro compounds using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensor based on the indirect competitive method. The vapors from the substances were sampled with a preconcentrator developed here. The solutions of the sampled vapors were measured using SPR immunosensor. Three kinds of explosives such as 2,4-dinitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene were detected at 1 ppb. Sampling time at 11/min was 3 min. Total detection time was brought down to 5 min, which is relatively short for second scanning in landmine detection. Efforts are being made to integrate the SPR immunosensor and preconcentrator for rapid sensitive detection of nitro aromatic compounds under simulated field conditions.