Interpenetrating network based polymeric sensors with enhanced specificity, sensitivity, and reusability

Refractive Index‐Adaptive Nanoporous Chiral Photonic Crystal Film for Chemical Detection Visualized via Selective Reflection

“…[ 19 ] The porous CLC film was also used as a template to replicate the photonic structures into polydimethylsiloxane. [ 17 ] The porous films were backfilled with a solution used to form interpenetrating networks in the pores. Porous CLC films with functionalized interpenetrating networks have been used to detect volatile organic vapors or biological specimens.…”

“…An external stimulus causes the pitch to expand or contract, resulting in the corresponding shift of the reflection band. Due to the high proportion of non‐reactive components (50–80 wt.%), [ 17,20 ] the polymerized porous film exhibits large pores and strong light scattering. In this case, the high porosity of the film may limit its robustness.…”

“…Recently, polymerized CLC films have been reported to detect volatile organic solvents and aqueous biological specimens. [16][17][18] The general approach was to fabricate a porous CLC structure.…”

“…Both solid materials and ionic liquids have been used for stimulus-responsive porous matrices. [38][39][40] For CLC films as sensors, [16][17][18] the monomeric CLC mixture, which consisted of both reactive and unreactive (more than 50 wt.%) components, was first planar-aligned and photopolymerized into thin films. Subsequently, unreacted monomeric compounds were selectively removed using an organic solvent.…”

“…Porous CLC films with functionalized interpenetrating networks have been used to detect volatile organic vapors or biological specimens. [17][18][19] In all these cases, the visualized signal was generated by a change in the periodicity of the photonic crystal (i.e., the pitch of the CLC). An external stimulus causes the pitch to expand or contract, resulting in the corresponding shift of the reflection band.…”