Porous Silicon Decorated with Copper Particles for Bimodal Detection of Dimethylmethylphosphonate by Ft-Ir and Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The release of organophosphates into the natural environment may directly and indirectly affect human health and cause severe damage to environmental ecosystems, thus raising global concern. In addition, some of these organophosphorus compounds (OPs) have been weaponized and already used as massive chemical weapons. So, in this study we propose the development of a new nanomaterial based on porous silicon (PSi) decorated with copper particles for the detection of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), a sarin simulant. We took advantage of the large surface area of PSi and the specificity towards DMMP brought by copper particle decoration. By assessing two types of PSi (60% and 80% porosity), we performed a systematic study to find the best experimental copper particle deposition method to ensure a uniform distribution within porous texturation. Then, and for the first time, the presence of DMMP was detected bimodally using FT-IR and mass spectrometry from the same PSi-Cu surface.

Keywords: Porous Silicon, dimethylmethylphosphonate, copper particles, FT-IR, Mass spectrometry, bimodal detection