Hexylthiophene based Conjugated Polymer Metal-ion Sensor

Conjugated polymer based sensor materials are gaining attention because of their higher sensitivity, tunable selectivity, better lifetime and reusability. Higher thermal stability and resistance to photobleaching makes them potential candidates for fabrication of thin films, micro-chips and electrodes for sensors. A novel hexylthiophene based polymer has been synthesized for the sensitive detection of Fe³⁺ ions. The polymer solution in ethanol could detect the presence of 8 ppm of Fe³⁺ with a quenching efficiency of ~96%. The Stern-Volmer plot showed positive deviation from linearity at higher analyte concentrations due to super amplified quenching. The prospect of the polymer to function as a chemoresistive sensor is currently being investigated.