Development of biomimetic optodes using molecularly imprinted polymers for sensitive and selective measures of environmental importance dyes

Abstract

Industrial effluents containing dyes are daily released to the environment. The launch of textile effluents causes a considerable environmental degradation, changing the natural color and forming foam on the water surface. Among these dyes, the class of dyes of the triphenylmethane family is widely used in the textile industry and presents problems for public health and the environment when discharged into wastewater, due to the high toxicity and degradation difficult. An alternative for the detection and quantification of these compounds is the development of biomimetic sensors with optical transduction, employing as recognition system molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). The advantage of this methodology is the good selectivity, sensitivity and stability of the MIP and low cost of materials used in the synthesis of these biomimetic polymers. This project proposes to develop biomimetic sensors through immobilization of MIPs on the surface of the common end of a bifurcated bundle of optical fibers for the determination and quantification of triphenylmethane dyes (acid green 16 and basic green 1) in different matrices and industrial effluents. The proposed immobilization of MIPs on the surface of the optical fiber will be through covalent binding via silanization, employing silanizing agents such as 3-metacryloxipropilthrimethoxisilane (MPS))in which the silane portion will be binding to optical fiber and the methacrylic portion will serve like co-polymer in the MIP formation.