Detection of perfuorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS) in liquid samples.

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Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate) are toxic and persistent compounds resulting from the production and use of fluoropolymers such as Gortex® and Teflon ®. The structure of PFAS preclude environmental degradation and can lead to bioaccumulation in animals and humans. Reported adverse effects of these compounds in humans include: increase in serum cholesterol; elevated risk of prostate cancer; decreased sperm count; and increased risk of preeclampsia. This proposal describes the synthesis of fluorinated molecularly imprinted polymers (FMIPs) as materials that not only specifically bind the target analytes but also by the design of the material surface limit non-specific binding. The FMIPs will be composed of a novel fluorinated crosslinking monomer with 2 different functionalized co-monomers. The proposed device will use these materials deposited on a proprietary sensor platform developed at Seacoast Science. During the Phase I work, the concept will be validated against a representative PFOA and PFOS in in water. To accomplish the Phase I proof of concept work, the following tasks are proposed: synthesis and characterization of novel fluorinated crosslinking monomer, synthesis and and characterization of FMIP nanoparticles; initial screening/down selection of MIP nanoparticles using a gravimetric sensor platform; and coating and testing optimum MIP nanoparticles on the proprietary sensor platform. This tool will allow the real-time monitoring of PFOA/PFOS in fluids. Early adopters of the technology will be government agencies tasked with environmental monitoring. After this initial use, field testing, and production optimization, other more risk averse agencies such as water districts may be convinced to purchase the technology for point detection. The final market is the industrial sources of other perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The modular nature of the FMIP synthesis allows for a facile change in the imprinting analyte: the use of systems and methods developed during this project will allow for rapid optimization of the sensor to a novel PFAS (i. e. F53-B, ADONA, FOSA, E1, 5:3 FTSA). Finally, once the sensor has been on the market for a sufficient time, it may be adapted for the detection of PFAS in more complex matrices like biological fluids. This tool will allow wide spread epidemiological studies looking at PFA exposure levels for large populations.