Wang Zi-Li, Deng Ze-Peng, Dong Xiu, Bai Lan, Wang Xiu-Li, Wang Yu-Zhong, Song Fei
The Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Friendly and Fire-Safety Polymeric Materials (MoE), National Engineering Laboratory of Eco-Friendly Polymeric Materials (Sichuan), State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Jul 6;14(26):30352-30361. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c04995. Epub 2022 Jun 22.
Photonic materials that enable visual detection of chemicals have shown great potential for wide applications in chemical, environmental, biotechnological, and food industries, but until now, using hydrophilic photonic materials for tracing water-soluble chemicals remains a major challenge due to the strong water interference. Here, we demonstrate a two-step co-assembly and subsequent surface coating strategy to develop an ethanol-sensitive and anti-water interference photonic crystal film. By using citric acid as a co-assembly phase, high ethanol sensing is realized because of the strong intermolecular affinity. By controlling the thickness of the outer polyvinyl butyral layer, selective ethanol penetration but a water barrier is enabled. Notably, the composite photonic films are free-standing, highly flexible, and controllably structurally colored. We further present using the composite film to quantitatively trace ethanol/water mixtures and potentially track drunk driving as a colorimetric sensor. The heuristic two-step modification strategy proposed in this work not only overcomes the limitation of water interference for hydrophilic colorimetric sensors but also provides references to develop more new photonic materials with water resistance that need to be applied in water/humid environments.
能够实现化学物质可视化检测的光子材料在化学、环境、生物技术和食品工业等广泛应用中显示出巨大潜力，但到目前为止，由于水的强烈干扰，使用亲水性光子材料追踪水溶性化学物质仍然是一个重大挑战。在此，我们展示了一种两步共组装及后续表面涂层策略，以开发一种对乙醇敏感且抗水干扰的光子晶体薄膜。通过使用柠檬酸作为共组装相，由于强大的分子间亲和力实现了高乙醇传感。通过控制外部聚乙烯醇缩丁醛层的厚度，实现了乙醇的选择性渗透但形成了水屏障。值得注意的是，复合光子薄膜是独立的、高度柔性的且具有可控的结构颜色。我们进一步展示了使用复合薄膜作为比色传感器定量追踪乙醇/水混合物并潜在地追踪酒驾。这项工作中提出的启发式两步改性策略不仅克服了亲水性比色传感器的水干扰限制，还为开发更多需要应用于水/潮湿环境的具有耐水性的新型光子材料提供了参考。
