Fluorimetric monitoring of molecular imprinted polymer recognition events for aluminium

Novel molecular imprints were prepared against aluminium. Sensing materials were prepared via non-covalent imprinting technique, using the aluminium(III)-morin chelate as the template. Based on the fluorescent properties of the chelate, it was possible to design a selective optical flow-through sensor for Al3+. The affinity of the polymer binding sites was higher for aluminium than for other di- and trivalent ions (e.g., Be2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Eu3+, Zn2+, Fe3+), suggesting that the nature of the metal ion, its ionic radius, and the metal-morin stoichiometry play important roles in the ionic recognition.