A new selective and sensitive sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) for the detection of volatile atmospheric pollutants was developed. The MIP-based sensor was prepared using the molecular imprinting method with a pre-polymerized polymer instead of traditional in-situ or post-polymerized ones to avoid harsh and tedious polymerization conditions. Molecular recognition in the MIP could be attributed to complementary binding sites with same or similar size, shape, and functionality to imprint molecules. In addition to size and shape of the imprinted cavities, the developed MIP-based sensors could exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity mainly due to dipole-dipole interaction, hydrophobic interaction and van der Waals interactions with the template molecules. The results show that the prepared MIP-based sensor indeed showed high selectivity and low limit of detection (LOD) in the nM range. The specificity and selectivity of the prepared MIP were further verified with detection of the analytes in rainwater samples.<br/>

Development of molecularly imprinted polymeric (MIP)-based sensors for detection of volatile atmospheric pollutants

256th National Meeting (2018)

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