Towards the detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene with ionic liquid/poly(ionic liquid) membranes.
| Title: | Towards the detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene with ionic liquid/poly(ionic liquid) membranes. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Hay CE; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Western Australia, Australia.; Gorenskaia E; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Western Australia, Australia.; Phillips JI; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Western Australia, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3086, Victoria, Australia.; Butterfield A; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Western Australia, Australia.; Mecerreyes D; POLYMAT University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Avenida Tolosa 72, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, E-48011, Bilbao, Spain.; Silvester DS; School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: D.Silvester-Dean@curtin.edu.au. |
| Source: | Talanta [Talanta] 2026 May 15; Vol. 302, pp. 129410. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 16. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 2984816R Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-3573 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00399140 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Talanta Subsets: MEDLINE; PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier; Original Publication: Oxford : Pergamon Press |
| Abstract: | In this work, we explore a range of membranes based on ionic liquids (ILs) and poly(ionic liquid)s (poly(IL)s), with varying cation/anion combinations, for the electrochemical detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) using gold thin-film electrodes. The influence of the IL anion/cation structure, as well as the incorporation of a polycation, on the TNT reduction behaviour was systematically examined through cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. Among the studied systems, [C2mim][TFSI]:p[DADMA][TFSI] and [C4mim][TFSI]:p[DADMA][TFSI], where [C2mim]+ = 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, [C4mim]+ = 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, [TFSI]- = bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and p[DADMA]+ = poly(diallyldimethylammonium), demonstrated an optimal balance between excellent electrochemical performance and high mechanical integrity, maintaining quasi-reversible TNT reduction with distinct three-step cathodic features. Environmental studies under controlled oxygen (0-25 vol %) and humidity (up to 95 % RH) environments revealed that the TNT response in real conditions is dependent on the membrane composition. These results highlight how ion-pair selection and environmental conditions jointly govern the charge transport and electrochemical behaviour in IL/poly(IL) membranes, providing key design principles for electrolytes in next-generation portable explosive sensors. The analytical performance of the sensing platform was evaluated using [C2mim][TFSI]:p[DADMA][TFSI] and [C4mim][TFSI]:p[DADMA][TFSI] membranes employing an 'electrode surface-loaded with analyte' detection strategy in which defined masses of TNT were deposited onto the electrode via solvent evaporation prior to electrochemical measurement.; (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene; Cyclic voltammetry; Electrochemical sensors; Ionic liquids; poly(ionic liquids) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260121 Latest Revision: 20260210 |
| Update Code: | 20260210 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.talanta.2026.129410 |
| PMID: | 41564585 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article