This case examines the use of a low-cost and portable alternative to laboratory-based techniques for the detection and analysis of energetic materials, with implications for law enforcement and military forensic investigations.
Forensic analysis of post-blast and post-burn materials can be critical to a law enforcement or military investigation. 3D-printed cone spray ionization (3D-PCSI) coupled to a field portable mass spectrometer (MS) has been demonstrated as a rapid and low-cost alternative to traditional laboratory-based techniques (high resolution liquid or gas chromatography mass spectrometry) for the detection and analysis of energetic materials. 3D-PCSI-MS can sample trace or bulk energetics within or upon solid matrices with no sample preparation. Solid samples, in this case post-blast or post-burn energetics, are placed within the hollow cavity of the cone that has an approximately 100 µm spray-based emitter at the apex. An extraction/spray solvent is added, and a high voltage is subsequently applied. When coupled to a field portable MS, post-burn and post-blast analyses can be performed in the field. Double base propellant was burned on a variety of substrates and examined via 3D-PCSI-MS. An energetic material and stabilizers used in propellants were detected from the post-burn samples with no sample preparation. Trinitrotoluene (TNT, used in military and commercial explosives) and triacetone triperoxide (TATP, a homemade explosive) were examined post-blast on the US ton scale and the gram scale, respectively. (Published Abstract Provided)