Characterization of gunpowder samples using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) was utilized to obtain characteristic mass spectra from three different smokeless powders and six different black powder samples. In these mass spectra, peaks indicative of both the organic and inorganic additive constituents in the gunpowders were observed. TOF-SIMS was able to successfully differentiate between the different black and smokeless gunpowder samples analyzed with the aid of principal components analysis (PCA), a multivariate statistical analysis approach often used to reduce the dimensionality of complex data. TOF-SIMS was also used to obtain information about the spatial distribution of the various additives contained within the gunpowder samples. SIMS imaging demonstrated that that the samples could potentially be characterized by their 2-D structure, which varied from sample to sample. These results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing TOF-SIMS as a tool for the characterization and differentiation of gunpowder samples for general forensic applications.
Mahoney
Christine M
CM
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8371, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
Gillen
Greg
G
Fahey
Albert J
AJ