Colorimetric test-systems for creatinine detection based on composite molecularly imprinted polymer membranes

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Creatinine detection is crucial for assessing kidney function and environmental monitoring.
• Traditional creatinine detection methods can be complex, time-consuming, and expensive.
• Development of rapid, user-friendly, and cost-effective analytical tools is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an easy-to-use colorimetric test system for efficient creatinine detection in aqueous samples.
• To create selective molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes for creatinine recognition.
• To evaluate the performance and stability of the developed test system.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of composite MIP membranes on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) supports via photo-initiated grafting polymerization.
• Utilizing functional monomers (e.g., 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, itaconic acid, methacrylic acid) and computational modeling for monomer selection.
• Selective adsorption of creatinine by MIP membranes followed by colorimetric quantification using picrate reactions.

Main Results:

• The developed MIP membranes demonstrated selective binding and recognition of creatinine.
• A linear dynamic range of 0.25–2.5 mM and a detection limit of 0.25 mM were achieved.
• The test system exhibited storage stability of at least 1 year at room temperature.

Conclusions:

• The developed colorimetric test system offers a simple, portable, and cost-effective solution for creatinine detection.
• MIP membranes provide artificial receptor sites for efficient and selective creatinine capture.
• This technology holds promise for various applications requiring rapid creatinine analysis.