Plasticizer-free polymer containing a covalently immobilized Ca2+-selective ionophore for potentiometric and optical sensors

Enhancing the blood compatibility of ion-selective electrodes

In vivo monitoring of various analytes is important for many bioanalytical and biomedical applications. The crucial challenge in this type of applications is the interaction of the sensor with the host environment, which is qualitatively described by the term biocompatibility. This review discusses recent advances in methods and materials used for the improvement of the biocompatibility of ion-selective electrodes especially as it relates to their interaction with blood components.

Potentiometric sensors for trace-level analysis

This review summarizes recent progress in the development and application of potentiometric sensors with limits of detection (LODs) in the range 10(-8)-10(-11) M. These LODs relate to total sample concentrations and are defined according to a definition unique to potentiometric sensors. LODs calculated according to traditional protocols (three times the standard deviation of the noise) yield values that are two orders of magnitude lower. We are targeting this article at analytical chemists who are non-specialists in the development of such sensors so that this technology may be adopted by a growing number of research groups to solve real-world analytical problems.We discuss the unique response features of potentiometric sensors and compare them to other analytical techniques, emphasizing that the choice of the method must depend on the problem of interest. We discuss recent directions in sensor design and development and present a list of 23 sensors with low LODs, with references. We give recent examples where potentiometric sensors have been used to solve trace-level analytical problems, including the speciation of lead and copper ions in drinking water, the measurement of free copper in sea water, and the uptake of cadmium ions by plant roots as a function of their speciation.

Calcium selective test strip for water and milk

We have developed a selective and reversible test strip based on an ion-exchange mechanism to determine calcium. The optical test strip contains a polymeric film of plasticised PVC that contains all of the reagents necessary to produce a response to calcium, among them the new ionophore, 4,13-bis[(N-adamantylcarbamoyl)propionyl]-1,7,10,16-tetraoxa-4,13-diazacyclooctadecane. The measurement of the absorbance at 655 nm in a standard photometer makes it possible to determine calcium activities. The composition of the membrane and reaction conditions have been adjusted to obtain adequate selectivity. The test strip responded linearly to calcium between 0.050 and 135 mM in activities. The reproducibility intermembrane at a medium level of the range was 6.2%, as RSD, of log a(Mg(2+)), and 3.4% as RSD intramembrane. The procedure was applied to the determination of calcium ion in different types of waters (tap, well, spring and mineral) and milks (whole, skimmed, skimmed with calcium added, special types) validating the results against a reference procedure.

A Copolymerized Dodecacarborane Anion as Covalently Attached Cation Exchanger in Ion-Selective Sensors

The traditional cation exchangers used in ion-selective electrodes and optodes are tetraphenylborate derivatives, which are generally adequate for most analytical applications but may in some cases suffer from decomposition by acid hydrolysis, oxidants, and light. Recently, halogenated dodecacarboranes were found to be improved cation exchangers in terms of lipophilicity and chemical stability. This forms the basis for the convenient covalent attachment of the cation exchanger to the polymeric backbone of the sensing material. This is a challenge that has not satisfactorily been solved and which is especially important in view of developing ultraminiaturized sensing arrays. Here, a C-derivative of the closo-dodecacarborane anion (CB(11)H(12)(-)) with a polymerizable group was synthesized as a chemically stable cation exchanger. This new derivative was copolymerized with methyl methacrylate and decyl methacrylate (MMA-DMA) to fabricate a plasticizer-free polymer with cation-exchange properties. This polymer could be conveniently blended with traditional plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) or with noncrosslinked methacrylic polymers to give solvent cast films that appear to be clear and homogeneous and that could be doped with ionophores. Optode leaching experiments supported the covalent grafting of the carborane anions. Ion-selective membranes and optode thin films were evaluated in terms of response function, response time, and selectivity. In all cases, the new material exhibited behavior similar to free tetraphenylborate derivative-based membranes. As a result of these studies, an all-polymeric plasticizer-free calcium-selective membrane was fabricated on the basis of the covalently attached carborane, a recently introduced grafted calcium ionophore, and an MMA-DMA polymer matrix. The resulting ion-selective electrodes showed Nernstian response slopes and rapid response times, demonstrating that covalent grafting of all sensing components is a feasible approach to the development of ion sensors.