Development of molecularly imprinted polymers based sensors to detect MIB and GSM at water

• Grant number: 15/05359-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: May 06, 2015
• End date: December 22, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Electrical Materials
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Josepetti Fonseca
• Grantee: Guilherme de Souza Braga
• Supervisor: Peter Alexander Lieberzeit
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Vienna, Austria
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/19421-6 - Development of molecularly imprinted polymers based sensors to detect MIB and GEO at urban supply water, BP.PD

Abstract

This work aims to develop highly selective sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to detect 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin (GSM) at water samples. MIPs are going to be based on polymeric films and oxides obtained by sol-gel method. MIP based QCM sensors are going to be used to evaluate imprinting process and the capability of the sensors to detect MIB and GSM in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the two MIP will be combined with a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) on a custom-designed three-electrode MIP to constitute a small, selective electronic tongue for determining both analytes at one measuring step. Once its capacity is confirmed, MIPs are going to be deposited over golden interdigitated electrodes and interrogated with impedance measurements to better fit the measuring setup implemented in Brazil and to reach detection limits beyond those of QCM. Sensors without the imprinting will be deposited in the same manner as the MIP based sensor to evaluate its sensitivity, specificity and the imprinting efficiency. Also, the response time, reversibility, shelf-life and the detection limit of the MIP based sensors are going to be evaluated. Artificially tainted water samples will be analyzed by the MIP based sensors and by GC/MS to calibrate accurately the sensors. In addition, sensors electrical response will be used to create a database that is going to be analyzed with PLS thus making possible to analyze samples with unknown concentrations of MIB and GSM. (AU)