Integrated Approach to Monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds by Photonic-Crystal Sensor Matrices

An integrated hardware–software approach was proposed to record the analytical response of sensor matrices exposed for a long time to liquid hydrocarbons and their vapors. A cell was designed and 3D-printed to detect hydrocarbons by photonic-crystal sensor matrices with computer recording and accumulation of the diffuse reflectance spectra with subsequent metrological signal processing. The low content of volatile organic compounds in the air of the working area was determined, and the obtained data agree well with the stages of the working cycle in paint and varnish production. The statistical significance of the changes in the analytical signal of the photonic-crystal sensor that were caused by the time variation of the concentration of hydrocarbons was confirmed.