Concentrating materials covered by molecular imprinted nanofiltration layer with reconfigurability prepared by a surface sol-gel process for gas-selective detection

Sensors that recognize molecules are acquired for the comprehensive detection of great many kinds of gases. Adsorbents with high molecular recognition and condensation ability were developed for selective gas sensing with a molecular imprinting technique. Developed adsorbents have multilayer structures consisted of a chemically modified polymer layer on the surface of a substrate covered by a TiO₂ gel monolayer by the surface sol-gel process. Ellipsometry measurements showed that the 6-nm-thick layers deposited on the substrate. Cavities of molecular templates were imprinted on these layers, and thus, the film acts as a molecular gas filter without concentrating ability, which could form specific binding sites for various molecules that confirmed using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Gases were selectively absorbed into an accumulating adsorption layer and other gas molecules were blocked by the nanofiltration. These developed adsorbents enabled effective concentration ability and the filtration of gases or odors. In addition, these filters possess the flexibility to be easily configured with specific surface properties to interact with volatile molecules under appropriate conditions. A successful multiplex filter, imprinted simultaneously on an adsorbent with different sites, was demonstrated.