Combinatorially imprinted substrates with mass, spectroscopic and electrochemical detection

The aim of the project is to develop new universal concept of trainable 2D monolayer functionalization for selective binding and detection of analytes. The power of the concept relies on dynamic combinatorial imprinting of a selected molecule to the 2D material, e.g. graphene, by the implementation of covalent grafting and supramolecular recognition, which in turn delivers binding selectivity for the given analyte. In this strategy, the two-dimensional material delivers the optical or electrical signal which can be either quenched or enhanced when the given analyte is bound, or it serves as an ionization matrix for mass spectrometry. This design enables rapid generation of sensing devices for a wide spectrum of analytes ranging from important gases (CO, NO, etc.) to biochemical disease markers in bodily fluids. The connected domains create a new interdisciplinary concept with large impact in current everyday challenges in industry and health protection.