Visual Sensor for Sterilization of Polymer Fixtures Using Embedded Mesoporous Silicon Photonic Crystals

A porous photonic crystal is integrated with a plastic medical fixture (IV connector hub) to provide a visual colorimetric sensor to indicate the presence or absence of alcohol used to sterilize the fixture. The photonic crystal is prepared in porous silicon (pSi) by electrochemical anodization of single crystal silicon, and the porosity and the stop band of the material is engineered such that the integrated device visibly changes color (green to red or blue to green) when infiltrated with alcohol. Two types of self-reporting devices are prepared and their performance compared: the first type involves heat-assisted fusion of a freestanding pSi photonic crystal to the connector end of a preformed polycarbonate hub, forming a composite where the unfilled portion of the pSi film acts as the sensor; the second involves generation of an all-polymer replica of the pSi photonic crystal by complete thermal infiltration of the pSi film and subsequent chemical dissolution of the pSi portion. Both types of sensors visibly change color when wetted with alcohol, and the color reverts to the original upon evaporation of the liquid. The sensor performance is verified using E. coli-infected samples.