(361b) Molecularly Engineered Organic Particulate Films: Preparation, Structure and Performance

Diethyl p-phenylenediacrylate (EPA) particles with tunable molecular adsorption characteristics were produced by a novel molecular imprinting procedure applied during the solid-state photo-polymerization reaction. EPA monomer is micronized by Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions (RESS) and deposited directly on Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) resonators. The templated photo-polymerization of EPA monomer particles was performed on the SAW devices. The molecular sieving capability of EPA polymer particles is demonstrated by monitoring the SAW resonance frequency during the sorption of alkane analytes of different sizes. The mass changes due to vapor uptake resulting from the selective sorption into the particulate coatings can be measured accurately due to the nanogram sensitivity of the piezoelectric crystal. Although the molecular porosity was created using template molecules from a different chemical family, these coatings exhibited reversible sorption properties when tested against alkane analytes. A gradual exclusion of smaller analyte molecules from the molecularly imprinted particulate coatings is observed as the size of the template molecule is reduced. The focus of this presentation will be on the connection between preparation conditions and the structure of the final product. Production, performance and applications of these unique coatings will be discussed.