Assessing Chemical Agent Decontamination Efficacy of a Nanostructured Fabric using Headspace and Split/Splitless Injection Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

摘要

Warfighter protection is of substantial concern for the military. We developed a multifunctional and nanostructured decontamination material with the capabilities to adsorb and photocatalytically degrade chemical agents. We envision our material being incorporated into personal protective equipment and uniforms. The decontamination material is photo-active and upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light readily degrades the target simulant into a simple non-lethal chemical compound. Adsorption of the chemical agent simulant, reactivity, degradation, and formation of resultant degradation products were all monitored by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). We developed a reproducible method to monitor the efficacy of the decontamination material with GC/MS using a split/splitless liquid injection technique. This technique is superior to direct injection of headspace vapors which does not allow determination of whether analyte vapors are sufficiently and homogenously partitioned into the headspace. Liquid injections allow us to assess optimal linearity of chemical simulant and response factor. This technique allows direct quantification of unknown concentration amounts based on the calibration curve of the analyte.