Molecular-imprinted, polymer-coated quartz crystal microbalances for the detection of terpenes.
A piezoelectric sensor coated with an artificial biomimetic recognition element has been developed for the determination of L-menthol in the liquid phase. A highly specific noncovalently imprinted polymer (MIP) was cast in situ on to the surface of a gold-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) electrode as a thin permeable film. Selective rebinding of the target analyte was observed as a frequency shift quantified by piezoelectric microgravimetry with the QCM. The detectability of L-menthol was 200 ppb with a response range of 0-1.0 ppm. The response of the MIP-QCM to a range of monoterpenes was investigated with the sensor binding menthol in favor of analogous compounds. The sensor was able to distinguish between the D- and L-enantiomers of menthol owing to the enantioselectivity of the imprinted sites. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing enantiomeric resolution within an MIP utilizing a single monomer-functional moiety interaction. It is envisaged that this technique could be employed to determine the concentration of terpenes in the atmosphere.
Percival
C J
CJ
Department of Chemistry and Physics, The Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. carl.percival@ntu.ac.uk
Stanley
S
S
Galle
T M
TM
Braithwaite
A
A
Newton
M I
MI
McHale
G
G
Hayes
W
W