Cavitand receptors for environmental monitoring

The design, synthesis, and characterization of cavitand based materials for application in chemical sensing and environmental analyses are the main topic of this thesis. The thesis is organized in three main projects: (1) The development of a portable miniaturized system for environmental monitoring of benzene in outdoor air. Using quinoxaline cavitands as preconcentration unit, it is possible to detect benzene at ppb level with MOX sensors. The sensor has shown efficient performances not only in laboratory tests but also in real world measurements. (2) The development of a coating, with molecular recognition ability, for solid phase microextraction fibers (SPME) for aromatic VOCs from aqueous samples. With this coated fibers it is possible to sample and selectively desorb aromatic analytes at ppt level in presence of aliphatic interferents. (3) The design and characterization of highly specific fluorescent molecular receptors for short chain alcohols. The introduction of an appropriate fluorescent probe allows the specific detection of alcohols complexed into the cavity in the solid state.