We present quantitative measurements of the optical response of liquid crystal (LC)/polymer composite fiber mats to toluene and acetone vapors. Our analyses in comparison with control measurements of pure LC film and polymer fiber mats show that the chemicals can pass through the polymer sheath of the fibers and be absorbed by the LC in the core. This absorption changes the optical properties of the fiber mats which can be used to produce sensitive and reversible detection. The sensitive response at low concentrations of both acetone and toluene demonstrates the feasibility of using these fibers for highly sensitive and specific sensors for volatile organic compound detection.

我们介绍了液晶（LC）/聚合物复合纤维毡对甲苯和丙酮蒸气的光学响应的​​定量测量。我们的分析与纯LC薄膜和聚合物纤维垫的对照测量结果相比，表明化学药品可以穿过纤维的聚合物外皮并被芯中的LC吸收。这种吸收改变了纤维垫的​​光学特性，可用于产生灵敏且可逆的检测。在低浓度的丙酮和甲苯下，灵敏的响应证明了将这些纤维用于挥发性有机化合物检测的高灵敏和特异传感器的可行性。