Surface functionalization of cellulose and other substrates
AssigneeUniversity of Rhode Island Board of Trustees
InventorsTeresa L. Mako, Mindy Levine, Jason Dwyer
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Abstract
The invention provides a mild procedure for the functionalization of cellulose and other substrates with a detection reagent such as N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine and is able to achieve much higher functionalization density than previously reported. A paper-based device created using cellulose functionalized according to the invention allowed for much lower detection limits for nitrite in various kinds of water samples than have been seen using paper-based devices. In addition, grafting of N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine to cellulose improved the stability of the N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine in the presence of moisture and light.
Claims16
A method of functionalizing a substrate surface, wherein said substrate surface comprises a water-sensitive material having nucleophilic attachment sites and the method comprising:
- in an inert organic solvent, causing said surface to contact a nucleophilic reagent comprising N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine in the presence of an organic linker and a non-nucleophilic base.
A paper-based device for detecting nitrite, comprising a detection surface containing cellulose covalently coupled to N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine and further comprising a path pre-loaded with sulfanilamide and an acid, such that a nitrite-containing sample flowing through the path to the detection surface will emit a detectable chromatic signal.
A method of detecting nitrite using cellulose, the method comprising providing a detection surface containing cellulose covalently coupled to N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine by contacting said surface, in an inert organic solvent, with a reagent comprising N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine in the presence of an organic linker and a non nucleophilic base, causing a sample to have contacted sulfanilamide and an acid by the time it contacts the detection surface, such that any nitrite in the sample above 4.0 ppb in concentration will react with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine and sulfanilamide, and emit a detectable chromatic signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.