Multichannel detection and differentiation of explosives with a quantum dot array

Peveler, W. J. , Roldan, A., Hollingsworth, N., Porter, M. J. and Parkin, I. P. (2016) Multichannel detection and differentiation of explosives with a quantum dot array. ACS Nano, 10(1), pp. 1139-1146. (doi: 10.1021/acsnano.5b06433) (PMID:26579950)

Abstract

The sensing and differentiation of explosive molecules is key for both security and environmental monitoring. Single fluorophores are a widely used tool for explosives detection, but a fluorescent array is a more powerful tool for detecting and differentiating such molecules. By combining array elements into a single multichannel platform, faster results can be obtained from smaller amounts of sample. Here, five explosives are detected and differentiated using quantum dots as luminescent probes in a multichannel platform: 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), tetryl (2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). The sharp, variable emissions of the quantum dots, from a single excitation wavelength, make them ideal for such a system. Each color quantum dot is functionalized with a different surface receptor via a facile ligation process. These receptors undergo nonspecific interactions with the explosives, inducing variable fluorescence quenching of the quantum dots. Pattern analysis of the fluorescence quenching data allows for explosive detection and identification with limits-of-detection in the ppb range.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: W.J.P. is grateful for an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship (EP/M506448/1). Via our membership of the U.K.’s HPC Materials Chemistry Consortium, which is funded by the EPSRC (EP/L000202), this work made use of the ARCHER facility, part of the U.K.’s national high-performance computing services, which are funded by the Office of Science and Technology through EPSRC’s High End Computing Programme.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Peveler, Dr William
• Authors: Peveler, W. J., Roldan, A., Hollingsworth, N., Porter, M. J., and Parkin, I. P.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: ACS Nano
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 1936-0851
• ISSN (Online): 1936-086X
• Published Online: 18 November 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 American Chemical Society
• First Published: First published in ACS Nano 10(1): 1139-1146
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License