title: Biomimetic supercontainers for size-selective electrochemical sensing of molecular ions.
abstract: New ionophores are essential for advancing the art of selective ion sensing. Metal-organic supercontainers (MOSCs), a new family of biomimetic coordination capsules designed using sulfonylcalix[4]arenes as container precursors, are known for their tunable molecular recognition capabilities towards an array of guests. Herein, we demonstrate the use of MOSCs as a new class of size-selective ionophores dedicated to electrochemical sensing of molecular ions. Specifically, a MOSC molecule with its cavities matching the size of methylene blue (MB+), a versatile organic molecule used for bio-recognition, was incorporated into a polymeric mixed-matrix membrane and used as an ion-selective electrode. This MOSC-incorporated electrode showed a near-Nernstian potentiometric response to MB+in the nano- to micro-molar range. The exceptional size-selectivity was also evident through contrast studies. To demonstrate the practical utility of our approach, a simulated wastewater experiment was conducted using water from the Fyris River (Sweden). It not only showed a near-Nernstian response to MB+but also revealed a possible method for potentiometric titration of the redox indicator. Our study thus represents a new paradigm for the rational design of ionophores that can rapidly and precisely monitor molecular ions relevant to environmental, biomedical, and other related areas.
authors.affiliation: Solid-State Electronics, The Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nathan L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Netzer
authors.affiliation: Solid-State Electronics, The Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Indrek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Must
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069, United States.
authors.forename: Yupu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Solid-State Electronics, The Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Shi-Li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069, United States.
authors.forename: Zhenqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Solid-State Electronics, The Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-751 21, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang