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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
Sensing Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants via Photonic Crystals of the Morpho didius Butterfly
Joshua D Kittle1, Benjamin P Fisher1, Anthony J Esparza1
1Department of Chemistry, United States Air Force Academy, 2355 Fairchild Drive, 80840 Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
Abstract:
The rapid and portable detection of trace chemical warfare agents (CWAs) remains a challenge for the international security and monitoring community. This work reports the first use of natural photonic crystals (PhCs) as vapor sensors for CWA simulants. Dimethyl methylphosphonate, a nerve agent simulant, and dichloropentane, a mustard gas simulant, were successfully detected at the parts per million level by processing visible light reflected from the PhC inherent to the wing scales of the Morpho didius butterfly. Additionally, modeling of this natural system suggested several parameters for enhancing the sensitivity of a synthetic PhC toward CWA simulants, including materials selection, structure, and spacing of the PhC, and partial functionalization of the PhC toward the analyte of interest. Collectively, this study provides strategies for designing a sensitive, selective, rapid, and affordable means for CWA detection.
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