Highly selective chemical sensor

Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting – deodorizing – preser – Analyzer – structured indicator – or manipulative laboratory... – Means for analyzing liquid or solid sample

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G01N 1506, G01N 3300, G01N 3348

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active

059102861

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BRIEF SUMMARY
The field of the invention is that of chemical sensors and more particularly that of highly selective chemical sensors which are capable of reporting the presence of a particular chemical species (also known as analyte) in a given medium.
In general, a chemical sensor consists of a sensitive layer, capable of binding the analyte more or less reversibly and selectively and of a transducer whose role is to convert the variation of a physicochemical parameter during the binding of the analyte into a signal which is generally electrical. The sensitivity of the sensor is defined by the lower limit of detection, that is to say the minimum amount or concentration of analyte which induces an identifiable signal relative to the noise. The selectivity of the sensor corresponds to its capacity to distinguish the analyte from the other chemical species which may be present in the medium. A very selective sensor is thus characterized in that at identical concentrations, the signal induced by the presence of the analyte is much more intense than the signal induced by any other chemical species. One of the main difficulties encountered in this field is to prepare sensors which are both sensitive and highly selective. Such chemical sensors may be applied in particular to the qualitative and quantitative detection of pollutants and toxic agents, or alternatively to process control in the chemical or pharmaceutical industry, to biological diagnosis, etc.
Currently, chemical sensors exist that are extremely selective by virtue of a sensitive layer containing molecules of biological origin such as proteins (enzymes, antibodies), nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) or even whole microorganisms. The main drawback of such sensors lies in their excessive fragility which seriously limits the operating and storage conditions of these sensors and which greatly reduces their lifetime. Moreover, the development and production costs of such sensors are generally very high.
In parallel with biological molecules, there are also less fragile synthetic organic molecules which can be used in the sensitive layer. These molecules are, in particular, crown ethers, cryptands, carcerands, spherands, polycyclophanes or cyclodextrins. The three-dimensional structure of these molecules generally has a cavity. The size and electron density distribution of this cavity are such that a particular chemical species which is included therein can find itself stabilized relative to the external medium. The synthesis of these "host" molecules is, however, particularly complex, and of very low yield. Moreover, it is not always possible to construct a cavity suited to recognition of the desired analyte. Lastly, these molecules cannot be used directly, but must be either chemically attached to the surface of the transducer or incorporated into a polymer matrix which is permeable to the analyte. This usually involves an additional functional-group installation, and thus further synthetic steps.
In this context, the invention proposes to use recently-developed materials known as "molecular fingerprints" having a selective "memory" for the molecules which have been used, in order to construct the architecture for them with very specific sites. These are materials obtained according to the following principle: serve as a gauge in the presence of polymerizable monomers and crosslinking agents is carried out in order to arrive at the development of complementary interactions; monomers-gauge complex;
After this last step, a crosslinked macroporous material is obtained having cavities whose steric and functional configuration is perfectly suited for the subsequent binding of new molecules G that are identical or very similar to the species G', with an affinity and a selectivity which are close to those offered by biological systems.
More precisely, the invention relates to a chemical sensor using such materials and detection by acoustic waves whose propagation may be affected in a medium or at the surface of a medium when the latter changes, and more particularly, in the presen

REFERENCES:
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D. Kriz, et al., Analytica Chimica Acta 300, (1995) 71-75, Competitive Amperometric Morphine Sensor Based on an Agarose Immobilised Molecularyly Imprinted Polymer.
S.A. Piletsky, et al., Sensors and ActuatorsB, 18-19, (1994), 629-631, Sensors for Low-Weight Organic Molecules Based on Molecular Inprinting Technique.
S.A. Piletsky, et al., Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Oil Chemistry and Oil Chemistry, Ukrainian SSR, Kiev, (1990), 55-58, "Substrate-Selective Polymeric Membranes, Selective Transfer of Nucleic Acids Components".
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