Effects of Fabrication\nParameters on the Mechanical\nand Sensing Properties of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for\nthe Detection of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) function as synthetic\nanalogues\nof antibody–antigen systems that provide molecular recognition.\nIn combination with an electrochemical interface, MIPs afford a promising\nroute to selectively detect a diverse range of chemical analytes and\nenvironmental contaminants (<i>e</i>.<i>g</i>.,\nper- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS). However, mechanical instabilities\nand binding irreversibility may limit the practical utility as a field-deployable\nsensor. Herein, we present a directed optimization of MIP-based sensors\nfor PFAS by varying key fabrication parameters (<i>i</i>.<i>e</i>., potential window, scan rate, molar ratio) to\nmodulate the mechanical properties and sensing reversibility, as measured\nby atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nanoindentation and electrochemical\nmethods. We demonstrate that the elastic recovery of MIP films strongly\ndepends on the synthesis scan rate during anodic electrochemical polymerization.\nFurthermore, the increase in the elastic recovery significantly improves\nthe sensing reversibility and mitigates signal drift. We anticipate\nthat understanding the synthesis parameters and mechanical properties\nof MIPs will provide insights into the development of robust and reliable\nsensors for environmental monitoring.