Silole-infiltrated photonic crystal films as effective fluorescence sensor for Fe³⁺ and Hg²⁺

We develop a highly effective silole-infiltrated photonic crystal (PC) film fluorescence sensor with high sensitivity, good selectivity and excellent reproducibility for Fe³⁺ and Hg²⁺ ions. Hexaphenylsilole (HPS) infiltrated PCs show amplified fluorescence due to the slow photon effect of PC because the emission wavelength of HPS is at the blue band edge of the selected PC's stopband. The fluorescence can be quenched significantly by Fe³⁺/Hg²⁺ ions owing to electron transfer between HPS and metal ions. The amplified fluorescence enhances the sensitivity of detection, with a detection limit of 5 nM for Fe³⁺/Hg²⁺ ions. The sensor is negligibly responsive to other metal ions and can easily be reproduced by rinsing with pure water due to the special surface wettability of PC. As a result, a highly effective Fe³⁺/Hg²⁺ ions sensor based on HPS-infiltrated PC film has been achieved, which will be important for effective and practical detection of heavy metal ions.