Photonic Crystal-Based Colorimetric Volatile Compound Sensors

A colorimetric component, comprising:

• n sections,
• an nth section of the n sections comprising a combination of a photonic crystal and a dye,
• the nth section exhibiting a change in color when contacted with a volatile compound, the volatile compound comprising at least one of a volatile organic compound (VOC) and a volatile sulfur compound (VSC),
• the n sections being arranged such that the colorimetric component exhibits a characteristic pattern when contacted with the volatile compound,
• the characteristic pattern correlated to at least one of (i) the volatile compound and (ii) a concentration of the volatile compound.

A colorimetric component, comprising:

• a first section,
• the first section comprising a first photonic crystal, and
• the first section comprising a first subsection that comprises a first volatile compound-sensitive dye and a second subsection that comprises a second volatile compound-sensitive dye;
• and
• a second section,
• the second section comprising a second photonic crystal and
• the second section comprising a first subsection that comprises the first volatile compound-sensitive dye and a second subsection that comprises the second volatile compound-sensitive dye,
• the first and second sections being arranged such that the colorimetric component exhibits a characteristic pattern when contacted with a volatile compound,
• the characteristic pattern correlated to at least one of (i) the volatile compound and (ii) a concentration of the volatile compound.