A microcalorimeter with a carbon nanotube forest as a preconcentrator for trace chemical detection

Preconcentration is an important technique that can significantly improve the limit of detection (LOD) of an analytical system by preconcentrating target analytes. In this paper, we have developed a microcalorimeter with an in-situ synthesized carbon nanotube (CNT) forest and a stand-alone metal preconcentrator for detection of trace energetic chemical vapors (ECV). Both the CNT forest and the metal preconcentrator provide high-efficiency preconcentration for target chemicals, and their preconcentration factors (PF) are 2.5 and 10, respectively. Experimental results show that a microcalorimeter with two-stage concentrators is able to achieve a lower LOD and a shorter detection time than conventional microcalorimeters.