Title
Molecular sensing by nanoporous crystalline polymers.
Abstract
Chemical sensors are generally based on the integration of suitable sensitive layers and transducing mechanisms. Although inorganic porous materials can be effective, there is significant interest in the use of polymeric materials because of their easy fabrication process, lower costs and mechanical flexibility. However, porous polymeric absorbents are generally amorphous and hence present poor molecular selectivity and undesired changes of mechanical properties as a consequence of large analyte uptake. In this contribution the structure, properties and some possible applications of sensing polymeric films based on nanoporous crystalline phases, which exhibit all identical nanopores, will be reviewed. The main advantages of crystalline nanoporous polymeric materials with respect to their amorphous counterparts are, besides a higher selectivity, the ability to maintain their physical state as well as geometry, even after large guest uptake ( up to 10-15 wt%), and the possibility to control guest diffusivity by controlling the orientation of the host polymeric crystalline phase. The final section of the review also describes the ability of suitable polymeric films to act as chirality sensors, i.e., to sense and memorize the presence of non-racemic volatile organic compounds.
Year
DOI
Venue
2009
10.3390/s91209816
SENSORS
Keywords
Field
DocType
polymer co-crystals,nanoporous crystalline phases,syndiotactic polystyrene,sensing film rigidity,molecular sensors,chiral sensors
Nanopore,Nanotechnology,Polymer,Nanoporous,Porosity,Chemistry,Crystal,Porous medium,Fabrication,Amorphous solid
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
9
12.0
1424-8220
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
0
Authors
9