Sulphate-selective optical microsensors: overcoming the hydration energy penalty

Identifier:  PC:3258

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/PC3258

Authors:  Guinovart, T.; Blondeau, P.; Andrade, F.J.

Abstract:
Novel membrane-free chemically modified polystyrene microspheres for the optical detection of sulphate in aqueous media are introduced. The working principle of this sensor, based on the surface mass-extraction of the target species, allows overcoming the strong hydration energy penalty, a typical problem for the detection of divalent anions. This optical sensor exhibits both, enhanced sensitivity and selectivity, which allows the accurate detection of sulphate biological samples. To illustrate these features, the determination of sulphate in urine is presented.