Carbon Nanofiber Photonic Crystals: Carbon and Carbon/Silicon Composites Templated in Rugate Filters for the Adsorption and Detection of Organic Vapors (Adv. Mater. 15/2011)

Carbon nanofiber photonic crystals are synthesized using a porous silicon rugate filter as a template. The carbon/silicon composites behave as highly sensitive optical sensors for volatile organic compounds, and are up to ten times more sensitive than the template alone. The inside cover shows electron microscope images of the carbon nanostructures, including both periodic and aperiodic examples, as reported on p. 1776 by Michael Sailor and co-workers.