Sodium and potassium ion selective conjugated polymers for optical ion detection in solution and solid state
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This paper presents the development of alkali metal ion selective small molecules and conjugated polymers for optical ion sensing. A crown ether bithiophene unit was chosen as the detecting unit, as both a small molecule and incorporated into a conjugated aromatic structure. The complex formation and the resulting backbone twist of the detector unit was investigated by UV Vis and NMR spectroscopy where a remarkable selectivity towards sodium or potassium ions was found. X-Ray diffraction analysis of single crystals with and without alkali metal ions was carried out and a difference of the dihedral angle of more than 70 ° was observed. In a conjugated polymer structure, the detector unit has a higher sensitivity for alkali metal ion detection than its small molecule analogue. Ion selectivity was retained in polymers with solubility in polar solvents facilitated by the attachment of polar ethylene glycol side chains. This design concept was further evolved to develop a sodium-salt solid state sensor based on blends of the detecting polymer with a polyvinyl alcohol matrix where the detection of sodium ions was achieved in aqueous salt solutions with concentrations similar to biological important environments.
Date Issued
2015-12-16
Date Acceptance
2015-10-30
Citation
Advanced Functional Materials, 2015, 26 (4), pp.514-523
ISSN
1616-3028
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
514
End Page
523
Journal / Book Title
Advanced Functional Materials
Volume
26
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2015 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Sponsor
Commission of the European Communities
Commission of the European Communities
Commission of the European Communities
Grant Number
604397
PIRSES-GA-2013-612538
610115
Subjects
Materials
03 Chemical Sciences
09 Engineering
02 Physical Sciences
Publication Status
Published