Application of inkjet printing technology to produce test materials of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5 triazcyclohexane for trace explosive analysis.

The feasibility of the use of piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet printing to prepare test materials for trace explosive analysis is demonstrated. RDX (1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5 triazcyclohexane) was formulated into inkjet printable solutions and jetted onto substrates suitable for calibration of the ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) instruments currently deployed worldwide for contraband screening. Gravimetric analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy were used to verify inkjet printer solution concentrations and the quantity of explosive dispensed onto test materials. Reproducibility of the inkjet printing process for mass deposition of the explosive RDX (1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5 triazcyclohexane) was determined to be better than 2% for a single day of printing and better than 3% day-to-day.