Effects of surface functionalization on the electrosynthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
Daniel Angel Bellido-Aguilar, McKenna Dunmyer, Cameron S. Malloy, Matthew J. Danley, Vasiliki Karanikola, Suchol Savagatrup
Abstract
, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, PFOS) as the template for selective binding sites. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the physicochemical properties of the electrode surface dictate the electropolymerization of MIPs and the resulting physical morphology and sensing properties. Specifically, MIP-based sensors prepared on hydrophobic surfaces exhibit improved sensing performance toward PFOS than the ones prepared on hydrophilic surfaces. We attribute the increased sensitivity to the stronger attraction of the hydrophobic surfaces to PFOS during the electropolymerization, which leads to enhanced imprinting of the MIPs and more selective binding sites. Our results, with PFOS as a model compound, demonstrate the importance of surface functionalization to the formation, physical morphologies, and sensing properties of a promising class of materials for environmental monitoring.