Immobilized Poly(aryleneethynylene) pH Strips Discriminate Different Brands of Cola

Markus Bender; N Maximilian Bojanowski; Kai Seehafer; Uwe H F Bunz

doi:10.1002/chem.201803103

Immobilized Poly(aryleneethynylene) pH Strips Discriminate Different Brands of Cola

Chemistry. 2018 Sep 6;24(50):13102-13105. doi: 10.1002/chem.201803103. Epub 2018 Aug 16.

Authors

Markus Bender¹, N Maximilian Bojanowski¹, Kai Seehafer¹, Uwe H F Bunz^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 270, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
² Centre for Advanced Materials, Im Neuenheimer Feld 225, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.

PMID: 29968971
DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803103

Abstract

Fluorescent, water-soluble poly(p-aryleneethynylene)s (PAE) were immobilized on commercially available nylon membranes by using a slot plotter, creating fluorescent, barcode-like sensor strips. Digital imaging by using a standard digital camera, before and after immersion of the strips in buffers of different pH, displays a unique color for each pH value. Statistical evaluation, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA), of the acquired data revealed that the immobilized PAEs are superior to the identical fluorophores when dissolved. The pH sensor array discriminates 20 different brands of commercial-cola soft drinks through differences in pH and colorant-PAE interactions.

Keywords: pH sensing; poly(aryleneethynylene)s; sensors; slot-die coatings.

Grants and funding

Funtech 3D