U.S.-Egypt Cooperative Research: Novel Highly Durable Sensors

描述：该奖项旨在支持阿拉巴马州奥本大学化学系Eric Bakker博士和埃及开罗国家研究中心应用化学系Mohammed Abbas博士之间的合作研究。他们计划探索用于检测阴离子的主动传感试剂的共价固定化，特别是卟啉，酞菁，金属酞菁及其衍生物，用于制造电化学和光学传感器的各种聚合物材料。目标聚合物包括丙烯酸酯和甲基丙烯酸酯以及聚吡咯，聚苯胺或聚噻吩。主动传感成分的共价附着将允许人们制造超小型化，但持久的传感系统，其中活性成分的浸出不再限制这些设备的使用寿命。近年来，离子选择电极经历了范式转变，发现它们可以达到极低的检测限，通常在总离子浓度测量的低万亿分之一浓度范围内。为了更好地对离子扩散特性进行化学控制，并最大限度地减少组分浸出到接触水溶液中，需要对材料化学方面进行改进研究。本研究为离子选择电极和微型光学传感器领域的众多研究方向奠定了基础。主动传感成分的共价附着将使这两个领域从传统的掺杂体系转变为具有独特性能的全聚合物材料。基于这种技术的超小型化传感系统只有在这种转变能够实现的情况下才会真正具有实际用途。这项研究最终将有助于回答一些重要的问题：急剧降低的扩散系数将如何影响传感器的响应，特别是在零电流电位法中？考虑到维持适当功能的准选择性的理论必要性，这种传感器的最终尺寸限制是什么？由于跨膜离子通量可以在很大程度上消除，带有共价离子载体的传感系统是否会导致极低的检测限？更广泛的影响：埃及和美国研究小组之间的合作研究将促进两国之间的科学关系。从更广泛的科学角度来看，这项研究对医疗保健和环境分析领域产生了重大影响，目前化学传感器的使用速度每年超过10亿次。在这项研究的基础上，潜在化学的显著增强和创造持久的超小型化传感系统的可能性，将导致单细胞水平、生理样本、生物分析和环境样本监测分析技术的重大突破。

0418004BakkerDescription: This award is to support a cooperative research between Dr. Eric Bakker, Department of Chemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama and Dr. Mohammed Abbas, Department of Applied Chemistry, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt. They plan to explore the covalent immobilization of active sensing reagents for the detection of anions, especially porphyrins, phthalocyanines, metallophthalocyanines and their derivatives, onto a variety of polymeric materials used for the fabrication of electrochemical and optical sensors. Target polymers include acrylates and methacrylates as well as polypyrrole, polyaniline or polythiophene. The covalent attachment of active sensing ingredients will allow one to fabricate ultraminiaturized, yet durable sensing systems where the leaching of active components is no longer limiting the lifetime of these devices. In recent years, ion-selective electrodes have experienced a paradigm shift by the discovery that they may reach extremely low detection limits, often in the low parts per trillion-concentration range of total ion concentration measured. Research in improving the materials chemistry aspects is required for better chemical control of ion diffusion properties and the minimization of component leaching into the contacting aqueous solution. This research lays the groundwork for numerous current directions in the field of ion-selective electrodes and miniature optical sensors. The covalent attachment of active sensing ingredients will transform both fields from using traditionally doped systems to all-polymeric materials with unique properties. Ultraminiaturized sensing systems based on this technology will only be truly practically useful if this transition can be accomplished. The research will eventually help answer important questions: how will drastically lowered diffusion coefficients influence the sensor response, especially in zero-current potentiometry? What are the ultimate size limits of such sensors, considering the theoretical necessity of maintaining permselectivity for proper functioning? Will sensing systems with covalently attached ionophores lead to drastically low detection limits because transmembrane ion fluxes can be largely eliminated?Broader impacts: The collaborative research between the Egyptian and U.S. research groups will foster the scientific relationship between the two countries. From a broader scientific standpoint, this research has a strong impact on the health care and environmental analysis fields, where chemical sensors are currently used at the rate of over 1 billion measurements per year. A significant enhancement of the underlying chemistry and the possibility for the creation of durable ultraminiaturzed sensing systems on the basis of this research will result in important breakthrough in analysis techniques at the single cell level, in physiological samples, in bioanalysis, and in the monitoring of environmental samples.