Transient response of a microfibrous web array for the discrimination of nitroaromatic explosive vapors

We report on the transient response of a microfiber array for the detection of nitroaromatic trace explosives through fluorescence quenching by 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene and nitrobenzene. The sensor array was fabricated from polymer-coated microfibers. An in-house developed portable system was used to study the sensor array response when exposed to vapor concentrations between 1-10 parts-per-billion in air. We show that linear discriminant analysis can be used to discriminate explosives-related compounds close to the detection limits.