Abstract
Ultrathin films of titanium oxide gel imprinted with 4-(4-propyloxyphenylazo)benzoic acid (C3AzoCO2H) were prepared by repeated immersion of a gold-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) electrode or a quartz plate in solutions of C3AzoCO2H and titanium butoxide (Ti(O-nBu)4) in toluene/ethanol. Regular film growth was confirmed by frequency decrement in QCM measurements and by the appearance of the azobenzene absorption in UV−vis spectroscopy. The template molecule could be completely removed upon treatment with 1% aqueous ammonia. The resulting films showed saturation binding of the template molecule in acetonitrile in less than 1 min. Binding of the template molecule was greatest among aromatic carboxylic acids that are structurally related to the template. A related ester showed a significant reduction in the binding efficiency. The surface sol-gel process provides a powerful tool for molecular imprinting in ultrathin metal oxide films.
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