Time-temperature indicator based on the optical response of photonic crystals upon polymer infiltration

LUISA CENCHA; FERNANDA GUADALUPE GARCÍA; NICOLÁS BUDINI; RAUL URTEAGA; BERLI, CLAUDIO L. A.

California

Conferencia; Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (µTAS 2021); 2021

The development of a time-temperature sensor is reported. The systems is based on capillary imbibition of thermoplastic polymers into a mesoporous photonic crystal, which is tuned to reflect well-defined wavelengths of visible light. Polymer infiltration induces an irreversible change of the effective refractive index of the crystal, leading to a progressive shift of the reflected light that can be seen by the naked eye. Each reflected color is associated to the time-temperature history of the system, representing the deterioration level of a monitored product.