A phenol phosphorescent microsensor of mesoporous molecularly imprinted polymers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Phenol detection is crucial for environmental monitoring due to its toxicity.
• Existing methods for phenol detection often lack selectivity or sensitivity.
• Developing advanced sensor materials is essential for accurate environmental analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a smart mesoporous phosphorescent microsensor for highly selective and sensitive phenol detection.
• To leverage the properties of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs).
• To investigate the role of a mesoporous structure in enhancing sensor performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a mesoporous phosphorescent microsensor using sol-gel synthesis on silane-modified Mn-doped ZnS QDs.
• Utilizing molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for high selectivity and Mn-doped ZnS QDs for room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP).
• Employing optical quenching as the detection mechanism based on phenol interaction.

Main Results:

• The microsensor exhibited a linear detection range of 5.0 to 50 μmol L⁻¹ for phenol with a high correlation coefficient (0.9983).
• A significant imprinting factor (IF) of 3.28 was achieved, indicating high selectivity.
• The sensor demonstrated successful application in determining phenol concentration and selectivity in real water samples.

Conclusions:

• A highly selective and sensitive mesoporous phosphorescent microsensor for phenol detection was successfully developed.
• The combination of MIPs and Mn-doped ZnS QDs offers a promising platform for advanced chemical sensing.
• The developed sensor shows potential for practical applications in environmental water quality monitoring.