Molecularly Imprinted Antenna Sensor for Gaseous Pyrene Detection

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants generated in our daily life, which are harmful to our health. Conventional detection methods for PAHs are only suitable for laboratory analysis due to complicated procedure and large instrument required. To address this challenge, a small and convenient molecularly imprinted polymer-graphite (MIP-G) antenna sensor is proposed to detect gaseous pyrene (PYR). The meandered monopole antenna is selected by analyzing the sensitivity of different antenna types when covered by a MIP-G sensing layer. The sensing layer is built by polymer-graphite mixture, which contains porous structure and absorbs the PYR. When the PYR is absorbed by the MIP-G, its loss tangent is changed, leading to reflection coefficient variations of the meandered monopole antenna. In the experiment, a linear relationship has been found between the concentration of PYR and the reflection coefficients. Hence, the proposed MIP-G antenna can detect gaseous PYR quantitatively. The proposed antenna sensing method for PAHs is simple, convenient, and reusable, which could be integrated with the function of wireless communication as well.