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Abstract
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In this work, suspension polymerization is used to synthesize 419 nm Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres [1]. Then a vertical evaporation-based method is used to grow opal photonic crystals on a glass substrate and their properties are investigated. The quality and uniformity of PMMA polymer were confirmed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis and scanning electron microscopy images confirm the close-packed face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice of the structure. The maximum absorption is observed at the wavelength of 950 nm. Then, opal photonic crystals were simulated using the FDTD method. In this simulation, a colloidal photonic crystal with 15 layers on a glass substrate has been considered. To simulate the light source, a flat wave in the wavelength range of 0.4-1.05 μm was used and boundary conditions of PML were applied in all three dimensions. The simulation ends automatically after complete field attenuation. The results show that increasing the number of layers in the simulation cause a perfect match of the results with the experimental ones. The opals and their inverse structures (inverse opals) have potential applications in a variety of important fields, including chemical and biological sensors, solar cells, and optical devices [2].
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