INFLUENCE OF FILTER MORPHOLOGY ON PYROLYSIS MASS SPECTRAL RESPONSE

Pyrolysis mass-spectral response in filter-based detection systems may be influenced not only by instrumental conditions but also by the characteristics of the sample-collection medium.This study investigated the influence of biological sample collection filter morphology on simulant distribution and pyrolysis mass-spectral response using sucrose as a nonpathogenic biological simulant. Type A, Type B, and modified filters were evaluated using a military biological detector, with ten independent filters tested in each group. Optical observations showed clear structural differences between Type A and Type B filters. Despite identical simulant loading, less sucrose remained visible on the Type A surface, and cross-sectional observations indicated deeper penetration into the filter interior, where as sucrose remained predominantly near the surface of Type B filters. The primary comparison variable was the m/z 123-to-95 peak-height ratio, a spectral indicator relevant to the detector classification algorithm. Median ratios were 2.31%, 9.73%, and 12.85% for Type A, Type B, and modified filters, respectively.