New Type of Standalone Gas Sensors Based on Dye Thin Films and Subwavelength Structures

摘要

A new gas sensor was developed to enable visual indication of a contamination by specific gases like NO_2, SO_2, UV, etc. The sensor works with a combination of subwavelength structures and specific active dye thin film layers. The objective is to use the optical changes of the dye thin films after exposure and a custom designed subwavelength structure, a suited combination of both will produce a strong color change. The indication should be visible for the human eye. To enhance this visual aspect, we used a reference sensor sealed into a non-contaminated atmosphere. This work was realized within the PHODYE STREP Project, a collaboration of the 6th Framework Program Priority Information Society Technologies.