Chemical sensor based on an artificial receptor element trapped in a porous sol-gel glass matrix

A synthetic organic receptor, dansyl-tethered β-cyciodextrin, is doped into an inorganic sol-gel matrix and spin cast as a film on fused-silica plates. The entrapped receptor exhibits changes in its fluorescence in the presence of borneol. Thus, this new material can be used as a reversible sensor. Various aspects of a sol-gel matrix as a host for recognition molecules were explored. This system demonstrates the possibility of using artificial receptors and sol-gel porous glass films for chemical sensing purposes.