The present project intends to develop a new sensing system based on solid supported bilayers of amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymers for rapid and sensitive detection of phenolic compounds. Due to their differences in properties (hydrophilicity and/or hydrophobicity), ABC copolymers self-assemble and generate different supramolecular systems, such as micelles, vesicles, or various liquid crystalline phases.
The project aims to design “active surfaces” of ABC asymmetric triblock copolymers in which active compounds (enzymes, chemical compounds) will be inserted to selectively recognize phenolic compounds. For this purpose, optimal conditions for the transfer of copolymer bilayers on solid support, at the air/water interface will be identified by Langmuir-Blodget (LB) isotherms, and Brewster Angle Microscopy imaging (BAM). Surface properties of uniform thin films of triblock copolymers will be characterized by a combination of ellipsometry, contact angle, FTIR, AFM, and SEM. These thin films will serve as templates for insertion of active (bio)molecules (test 4-aminoantipyrine or chitosan, tyrosinase or laccase, respectively), and production of “active surfaces” for phenols recognition at low concentrations. The functionality of active surfaces will be tested based on an easily detectable reaction/s product (for example a fluorescent product).
The project will support the cooperation between the Chemistry Department of the University of Basel, and the Department of Product Design, Mechatronics and Environment of Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania. Obtaining active surfaces based on solid supported bilayers of amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymers represents a first research stage that will further be valorized by a long-term cooperation.