Degradation of Sub-Micrometer Sensitive Polymer Layers of Acoustic Sensors Exposed to Chlorpyrifos Water-Solution.

David Rabus,Fanny Lotthammer,Frédéric Cherioux,Frank Palmino,Jean-Michel Friedt,Lilia Arapan,Joscelyn Degret

doi:10.3390/s22031203

Abstract

The detection of organophosphates, a wide class of pesticides, in water-solution has a huge impact in environmental monitoring. Acoustic transducers are used to design passive wireless sensors for the direct detection of pesticides in water-solution by using tailored polymers as sensitive layers. We demonstrate by combining analytical chemistry tools that organophosphate molecules strongly alter polymer layers widely used in acoustic sensors in the presence of water. This chemical degradation can limit the use of these polymers in detection of organophosphates in water-solution.

Highlights

Monitoring the increasing number of pollutants in the water table is an ongoing concern for water treatment systems and water resource managers [1]
In order to obtain a homogenous aqueous phase, we used a water solution containing 4% of acetonitrile which strongly promotes the dissolution of chlorpyrifos
In order to confirm the impact of the buffer in the polymer degradation prevention, we investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) the evolution of a layer degradation prevention, we investigated by AFM

Summary

Introduction

Monitoring the increasing number of pollutants in the water table is an ongoing concern for water treatment systems and water resource managers [1]. Pesticides, heavy metals, personal care products, natural toxins, and a host of other organic and inorganic chemical pollutants and their products can increase toxicity in water. The development of innovative sensors that can identify the presence of chemical pollutants in various types of water without preparation for continuous monitoring, as opposed to sampling as needed for current laboratory methods, is still challenging [2,3]. In all cases, the sensing physical principle is not selective, and the sensor selectivity is brought by the chemical functionalization of the surface. Polymers offer a variety of sensing layers and can be directly integrated in collective processes of fabrication [13,14] Polymers such as polyepichlorohydrin (PECH), polyisobutene (PIB), and poly (butyl methacrylate)

Methods

Results

Conclusion