Advanced polymer grating fabrications: Surface-engineered structural colors for organic vapor sensing.

[Display omitted] The emerging field of structural coloration, using the intricate interactions between light and engineered micro/nanostructures, is increasingly recognized for its transformative potential in advanced sensing technologies, anti-counterfeiting measures, and intelligent displays. Especially the structural color generated by precise micro and nanostructures has a high sensitivity to external environmental changes and has great advantages for application in sensing. This study uses time-domain finite element modeling in tandem with comprehensive chromaticity analysis to investigates the progression of color transitions in polymer-based grating structures, with an emphasis on enhancing sensitivity to subtle chromatic variations. A polystyrene (PS) grating structure was fabricated by injection molding process to investigate the performance of organic vapor detection by grating structure on the experimental platform of gas detection. The investigative findings reveal that the grating depth significantly dictates the colorimetric response, overshadowing the influence of the duty cycle and spatial period. In acetone vapor atmosphere, the PS grating structure can achieve accurate color response as little as 1 min, and when the acetone structural color is fully reactive, the sensitivity can reach a maximum of Sg = 7.2 × 10−4 ppm−1, that demonstrated superior performance in detecting high concentrations of acetone vapor showcasing pronounced stability and consistent repeatability. These characteristics suggest its strong potential for deployment in reliable and robust sensing modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]