Detection of chemical warfare agent simulants based on luminescent distributed Bragg reflector porous silicon

An efficient detection method based on luminescent DBR PS has been developed for DMMP vapor detection, which is a stimulant for chemical warfare agents. The prepared DBR PS chip exhibits a sharp luminescence and reflectance at 680 nm. The detection method involves the quenching of PL of DBR PS in photoluminescent spectra under the exposure of vapors of the analyte. Rapid detection has been achieved in a few seconds, in situ, and observed by the quenching PL resulting from the oxidation of silicon nanocrystallite of PS to give silicon oxide surface in DBR PS. When the DBR PS chip is exposed to DMMP vapor, the photoluminescence of DBR PS is quenched by 68% for 20 s and the quenching efficiency of DBR PS is 5.6 times higher than that of monolayer PS.