Honours Projects 2010
Dr Ian Potter
Development of polymer inclusion membranes or microspheres for sensor applications
Preliminary polymer sensor applications have focused on the extraction and sensing of metals. However, there are opportunities to investigate the development of polymer sensors for the extraction and sensing of other analyte types such as organic species, like EDCs. Subsequent development of such PIMs or microspheres would be useful for specific industrial, environmental or biological applications. The use of "analyte specific" sensing reagents like chromophores or fluorophores in the polymer microsphere matrix allows the direct analyte measurement by techniques such as confocal microscopy. Subsequently, the microspheres could be investigated for use in a microfluidic system such as a flow cytometer for the real time sensing of the analyte. Current investigations have examined the extraction of organochlorine pesticides, like 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. We want to extend this investigation to include the anti-bacterial chemical triclosan, now an EPA priority chemical as it is routinely found in environmental water samples.