Inkjet-printed low-cost colorimetric tickets for TNT detection in contaminated soil

Myung-Goo Lee; Hae-Wook Yoo; Sung H. Lim; Gi-Ra Yi

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.37, No.12, 2171-2178, December, 2020

DOI10.1007/s11814-020-0627-x Export Citation

Inkjet-printed low-cost colorimetric tickets for TNT detection in contaminated soil

Myung-Goo Lee, Hae-Wook Yoo¹, Sung H. Lim^†, and Gi-Ra Yi^†

School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
¹Agency for Defense Development, Daejeon 34186, Korea

E-mail:,

A simple colorimetric detection method for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in contaminated soil has been developed. Procedurally, a TNT responsive chromogenic reagent was inkjet printed on commercially available photo paper, and the resulting colorimetric ticket was laminated with a precut patterned film to make a bilayer microfluidic sensor. For the TNT detection experiments, a drop of TNT solution was placed on the center of the prepared sensor. Color measurement of the sensor with a photo scanner showed a wide detection range of TNT, ranging from 14 parts per million (ppm), which is below its residential screening level (~21 ppm) to 7,200 ppm. To further demonstrate its efficacy, TNT spiked soil samples were extracted with acetone and evaluated with the developed sensor.

Keywords:TNT Detection from Soil;Colorimetric Sensor;Inkjet-Printed Sensor Ticket

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[2] Dewey JM, Proc. Royal Soc. London, 279, 366 (1964)

[3] Wickham JA, Military explosives, Headquaters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. (1984).

[4] Cocroft WD, Frontline and factory, Springer, Dordrecht (2006).

[5] Nelson HW, Logistics in World War II, Center of Military History, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. (1993).

[6] Taylor S, Hewitt A, Lever J, Hayes C, Perovich L, Thorne P, Daghlian C, Chemosphere, 55, 357 (2004)

[7] Jenkins TF, et al., EPA federal facilities forum issue paper: Site characterization for munitions constituents, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. (2012).

[8] Hovatter PS, et al., Ecotoxicity of nitroaromatics to aquatic and terrestrial species at army superfund sites, ASTM international, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (1997).

[9] Lewis TA, Newcombie DA, Crawford RL, J. Environ. Manage., 70, 291 (2004)

[10] Brannon JM, et al., Procedures for determining integrity of UXO and explosives soil contamination at firing ranges, Washington, D.C. (2000).

[11] Pichtel J, Appl. Environ. Soil Sci., 2012, 1 (2012)

[12] Li K, et al., Evidence on the carcinogenicity of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, Sacramento, California (2010).

[13] Richter-Torres P, Dorsey A, Hodes CS, Toxicological profile for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, Atlanta, Georgia (1995).

[14] Cooke M, Technical fact sheet-2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. (2017).

[15] Stackleberg KV, et al., Screening level ecological risk assessments of some military munitions and obscurant-related compounds for selected threatened and endangered species, Washington, D.C. (2006).

[16] Kalderis D, Juhasz AL, Boopathy R, Comfort S, Pure Appl. Chem., 83, 1407 (2011)

[17] Das P, Chemically catalyzed phytoremediation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) contaminated soil by vetiver grass, New Jersey (2015).

[18] Gao J, Chen X, Chen S, Meng H, Wang Y, Li C, Feng L, Anal. Chem., 91, 13675 (2019)

[19] Zhang W, Wu Z, Hu J, Gao Y, Guo J, Long M, Duan H, Jia D, Sens. Actuators B-Chem., 304, 127233 (2020)

[20] Tian X, Peng H, Li Y, Yang C, Zhou Z, Wang Y, Sens. Actuators B-Chem., 243, 1002 (2017)

[21] Pesenti A, Taudte RV, McCord B, Doble P, Roux C, Blanes L, Anal. Chem., 86, 4707 (2014)

[22] Salles MO, Meloni GN, de Araujo WR, Paixao TRLC, Anal. Methods, 6, 2047 (2014)

[23] Peters KL, Corbin I, Kaufman LM, Zreibe K, Blanes L, McCord BR, Anal. Methods, 7, 63 (2015)

[24] Lopez-Ruiz N, Erenas MM, de Orbe-Pay I, Capitan-Vallvey LF, Palma AJ, Martinez-Olmos A, J. Sens., 2016, 708701 (2016)

[25] Hu T, Sang W, Chen K, Gu H, Ni Z, Liu S, Mater. Chem. Front., 3, 193 (2019)

[26] Tang N, Mu L, Qu H, Wang Y, Duan X, Reed MA, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 9, 14445 (2017)

[27] Liu C, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Lin C, Zhou K, Li Y, Li G, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 11, 21078 (2019)

[28] Rakow NA, Suslick KS, Nature, 406, 710 (2000)

[29] Lim SH, Feng L, Kemling JW, Musto CJ, Suslick KS, Nat. Chem., 1, 562 (2009)

[30] Lin HW, Jang M, Suslick KS, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 133(42), 16786 (2011)

[31] Ercag E, Uzer A, Apak R, Talanta, 78, 772 (2009)

[32] Kangas MJ, Burks RM, Atwater J, Lukowicz RM, Williams P, Holmes AE, Crit. Rev. Anal. Chem., 47, 138 (2017)

[33] Martinez AW, Phillips ST, Whitesides GM, Anal. Chem., 82, 3 (2010)

[34] Carrilho E, Martinez AW, Whitesides GM, Anal. Chem., 81, 7091 (2009)

[35] Berliner A, Lee MG, Zhang Y, Park SH, Martino R, Rhodes PA, Yi GR, Lim SH, RSC Adv., 4, 10672 (2014)

[36] Akyazi T, Basabe-Desmonts L, Benito-Lopez F, Anal. Chim. Acta, 1001, 1 (2018)

[37] Erik S, Printability and ink-coating interactions in inkjet printing, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden (2007).

[38] Askim JR, Li Z, LaGasse MK, Rankin JM, Suslick KS, Chem. Sci., 7, 199 (2016)

[39] Foster R, Mackie RK, Tetrahedron, 18, 1131 (1962)

[40] Porter CC, Anal. Chem., 27, 805 (1955)

[41] Ward JH, J. Am. Stat. Assoc., 58, 236 (1963)

[42] Janovsky JL, Chem. Ber., 24, 971 (1891)

[43] Von Meisenheimer J, Justus Liebigs Ann Chem., 323, 205 (1902)

[44] Jackson CL, Earle RB, Am. Chem. J., 29, 89 (1903)

[45] Buncel E, Norris AR, Russell KE, Q. Rev. Chem. Soc., 22, 123 (1968)

[46] Jung DW, Park KJ, Lee SW, Kim JY, Lee GH, Yi GR, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 35(10), 2138 (2018)

[47] Patil VS, Lee MG, Yung J, Lee JS, Lim SH, Yi GR, Langmuir, 34(43), 13014 (2018)