Abstract:
More and more, polymer based chemosensors are applied in process and environmental analysis. The utilized sensor principles are all based on the molecular interaction between sensitive polymer coatings and analyte molecules in different matrices.
Against this background, the work on hand focuses on the characterisation of molecular interactions between thin polymer films and analyte molecules in liquid phases. Further aspects are the quantification of multi analyte mixtures. For this, an optical sensor principle, the so called reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS), has been applied.
The preparation and immobilisation of novel polymer systems on sensor chips as well as surface analysis and characterisation of sensitive polymer coatings by the use of spectroscopic methods have been essential tasks. In particular, within the scope of this work a novel on-chip-polymerisation for the preparation of polymer chemosensors has been introduced and optimized.
The main objective of this work was a comprehensive characterisation of interaction behaviour of different novel polymer systems. By combining sensory measurements, spectroscopic characterisations and microcalorimetric investigations a fundamental contribution to comprehension of interaction mechanisms was made.
In a further focal point of this work, the differences in temporary interaction behaviour of hyperbranched polyester systems and microporous polymers have been utilized for the quantification of multi analyte mixtures. Based on the evaluation of time resolved measurements by the use of artificial neural networks, especially the quantification of multi analyte mixtures by a reduced number of sensors became possible.
Finally, in order to investigate surface phenomena of polymer coatings as well as the wetting behaviour of biocompatible materials, a novel in-situ measurement technique has been developed within this work. In the meantime, it has been taken out a patent on this novel measurement technique.