Impedometric herbicide chemosensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers

The technique of grafting polymerization has been used for preparation of thin films of molecularly imprinting polymers on the surface of polypropylene membranes and on hydrophobized gold electrodes. The herbicide desmetryn was used as a template. The solid supports used were hydrophobic, while the polymer was hydrophilic. The adsorbed layer of benzophenone, irradiated by UV-light, initiated a radical polymerization near the surface. Polymer films were characterized by weighing, contact angle measurements and impedance spectroscopy. The electrodes coated with the molecularly imprinted polymers displayed fairly specific binding of desmetryn, as detected by the decrease in the capacitance of the electrode. Only small capacitive effects were observed on addition of terbumeton or atrazine, while metribuzine displayed capacitance decrease similar to desmetryn. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.