Methods for Fabricating Devices Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Capacitive Detection of Analytes for Environmental Monitoring.

Abstract

The invention concerns the development of molecularly imprinted polymer for label-free capacitive sensing application. The method outlined by the invention involves several steps: a) Pre-treating the surface of the working electrode; b) Electrochemical polymerizing a monomer solution in an electrolyte buffer containing the target template molecule to form an imprinting template film on the electrode surface; c) Washing the electrode to remove unbound molecules; d) Characterizing the formed imprinting template film by cyclic voltammetry in a supporting electrolyte solution to determine its half-wave potential; e) Forming the molecularly imprinted polymer electrode by removing the target template molecule from the synthesized polymer; f) Incubating the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer with the target template for a specified duration; g) Detecting the target template molecule using capacitance-derived electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This method presents significant advantages in terms of specificity, sensitivity, and stability, rendering it highly applicable across numerous industries for enhancing detection, monitoring, and diagnostic capabilities.