Light-driven ion extraction of polymeric membranes for on-demand Cu(II) sensing

The modulation of the ion -fluxes across a polymeric membrane is important for designing attractive methodologies. As an alternative to the commonly used dynamic electrochemistry approaches, light can be used as an external stimulus and provides a very convenient way to manipulate ions release and/or extraction into a polymeric membrane. Herein, we designed a solid-contact polymeric membrane ion selective sensor that exhibits dynamic response by light irradiation at 375 nm. The electrode membrane contains a light-sensitive lipophilic salt (bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)iodonium tetrakis[3,5bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (R+-R-, BTDT-TFPB) instead of traditional ion exchanger. Under light illumination, the decomposition of the lipophilic cation makes the membrane with ion-exchange properties. The solid-contact ion-selective electrodes based on potentiometry and constant potential coulometry have been explored for direct ion sensing. Copper was selected as a mode analyte and can be determined at micromole levels. The proposed dynamic ion sensors show promise for on-demand ion sensing. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A solid-contact polymeric membrane ion selective sensor was designed with dynamic response achieved by light irradiation. Light was used as an external stimulus to manipulate ions release and/or extraction in the polymeric membrane, offering a convenient alternative to traditional dynamic electrochemistry approaches.