Analysis of interaction between chemical agents and porous Si nanostructures using optical sensing properties of infra-red Rugate filters

Porous silicon based optical Rugate filters operating in the infra-red spectral range have been used to study chemical modifications (alkylation and oxidation) of the porous silicon internal specific surface. Influences of the chemical modifications on the filter response and on its sensitivity for solvent detection is described in details. Important quantitative information concerning structure and chemical coating of the filters is obtained. Application of the porous filters for the detection of different solvents filling their nanopores is studied.