Inventors: Murray GM, Mason AF, Ott EWJr
Patent Title: Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensing Method
Publication date: 2012
Publication number: US20120288944

Abstract: A method for detecting a taggant molecular structure in a fluid includes providing a molecularly imprinted polymer sensor device, contacting a molecularly imprinted crosslinked star polymer with the fluid, and correlating a color change in the fluid with the amount of the taggant molecular structure in the fluid. The device has polymer arms attached to a core, and the core has molecular sized cavities adapted to selectively receive and bind displacement molecules having the taggant molecular structure and a colorimetric indicator. The displacement molecule is selectively removed from the molecularly imprinted crosslinked polymer upon exposure to the taggant molecular structure in the fluid thereby indicating the presence of the taggant molecular structure in the fluid based on a loss of color along a length of a housing.
URL: http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?FT=D&date=20121115&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP&CC=US&NR=2012288944A1&KC=A1&ND=4