Optical porous-silicon-based sensors with chemically modified surface for detection of organic vapors

Photoluminescence quenching response of as prepared and surface modified porous silicon sensors in presence of organic analytes in gas phase was studied. Surface modification aimed at increasing of operational stability and modification of sensoric response was performed by a hydrosilylation reaction with various organic compounds - methyl 10-undecenoate, haemin, cinchonine and quinine. These sensors were tested for a homological set of aliphatic alcohols from methanol to hexanol. We have systematically measured changes in porous silicon photoluminescence intensity as a function of concentration of detected analytes and evaluated sensitivity, detection limit and linear dynamic range of our sensors. Speed of the sensoric response was of the order of seconds. The obtained sensoric parameters were correlated with chemical and physical properties of both the compounds used for derivatization and the detected analytes.