Design and Behavior of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensors (MIPS) for Riboflavin Detection — 78a — Isaiah C. Thurman¹, Joseph T. Hilsendeger¹, Shourya M. Goyal³, Cody J. Allen², Venkatara mana Gadhamshetty^2,4, Travis W. Walker¹ 

^1. Karen M. Swindler Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA 

^2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA 

^3. Stevens High School, Rapid City, SD, USA 

^4. 2D-Materials for Biofilm Engineering, Science, and Technology (2D-BEST) 

Industrial processes, commercial products, and environmental monitoring all rely heavily on sensor technology. With the call for new methods of detection, the emergence of molecularily imprinted polymer sensors (MIPS) proves to be an affordable and efficient method of detecting small concentrations of a desired target molecule. MIPS are created by polymerizing a solution of monomer and a target molecule, and subsequently removing the target molecule to create hollows in the polymer matrix. These hollows can then bind new target molecules for detection. The synthesis and mechanics of these MIPS is important for the improvement and diversification of this technology. Here, we present our work on the creation of a riboflavin (vitamin B2) MIPS from Prototyping Resin 48 (PR48) using electrodeposition to meet the call for improved detection methods. Riboflavin was chosen for its high UV-activity and to expand the scope of previous studies. Electrodeposition was completed using cyclic voltammetry (- 0.5V to 1V) at a scan rate of 50mV/s and a step size of 50mV. We conducted experiments to evaluate the impact of environmental conditions (e.g. monomer concentration, reuse of elec trolyte, etc.), determined the binding and rebinding capacities of the MIPS, and assessed their selectivity to riboflavin using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Our results indicate that the MIPS exhibit a high binding affinity and selectivity, with an average binding capacity of 103.01 mg riboflavin/g MIPS and a rebinding efficiency of 45.63%. This work contributes to the development of a novel sensor for various applications.

South Dakota Mines
Travis W. Walker