Micro-Capillary Coatings Based on Spiropyran Polymeric Brushes for Metal Ion Binding, Detection, and Release in Continuous Flow
Aishling Dunne,
Colm Delaney,
Aoife McKeon,
Pavel Nesterenko,
Brett Paull,
Fernando Benito-Lopez,
Dermot Diamond,
Larisa Florea
Affiliations
Aishling Dunne
Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Colm Delaney
Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Aoife McKeon
Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Pavel Nesterenko
Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
Brett Paull
Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
Fernando Benito-Lopez
Analytical Microsystems & Materials for Lab-on-a-Chip (AMMa-LOAC) Group, Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU, Analytical Chemistry Department, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz 01006, Spain
Dermot Diamond
Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Larisa Florea
Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Micro-capillaries, capable of light-regulated binding and qualitative detection of divalent metal ions in continuous flow, have been realised through functionalisation with spiropyran photochromic brush-type coatings. Upon irradiation with UV light, the coating switches from the passive non-binding spiropyran form to the active merocyanine form, which binds different divalent metal ions (Zn2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Cd2+), as they pass through the micro-capillary. Furthermore, the merocyanine visible absorbance spectrum changes upon metal ion binding, enabling the ion uptake to be detected optically. Irradiation with white light causes reversion of the merocyanine to the passive spiropyran form, with simultaneous release of the bound metal ion from the micro-capillary coating.