Unambiguous Discrimination and Detection of Controlled Chemical Vapors by a Film‐Based Fluorescent Sensor Array

Abstract

AbstractIn situ, online, fast, and sensitive detection and discrimination of explosives, illicit drugs, and volatile organic compounds via vapor sampling is a challenge for many years. The highly efficient and noncontact detection of 15 types of chemicals mentioned above using a film‐based fluorescent sensor array is reported herein. Importantly, the presence of water, toiletries, fruit, dirty clothes, and other interferences has little effect upon detection. Discrimination of the controlled chemicals is realized using a pattern recognition strategy. Meanwhile, a conceptual detector based on a sensor array is constructed and successfully used for simulated field tests. It is strongly believed that the present work not only provides a powerful fluorescent technique for efficient detection and discrimination of controlled chemicals with remarkably different properties but also demonstrates that arraying a single sensor is a promising strategy to mitigate the limitations of conventional film‐based fluorescent sensors.