Since triacetone triperoxide (TATP) is a high explosive synthesized from easily available reactants, making it accessible for illicit uses, the current study achieved fast detection of TATP using a novel planar solid-phase microextraction (PSPME) as a preconcentration and sampling device for headspace analysis, providing improved sensitivity and reduced sampling time over the conventional fiber-based solid-phase microextraction (SPME) when followed by ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) detection.
Quantitation and comparison of the retention capabilities of PSPME compared to the commercially available SPME were determined using TATP standards and analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for SPME analysis and a commercial IMS with no instrumental modification for PSPME. Static and dynamic headspace extractions were used and compared for PSPME extractions, in which low milligram quantities of TATP were detected within 30 s of static mode sampling and less than 5 s in the dynamic mode sampling for PSPME–IMS. (publisher abstract modified)