Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
A number of approaches to the design and synthesis of conducting polymer-based sensory materials are presented. To elicit a selective sensory response synthetic receptors have been integrated into the polymers such that binding of an analyte produces electronic, electrostatic, and/or structural perturbations. A key element is the use of assemblies of many receptors which are “wired in series” by a conjugated polymeric structure. It is demonstrated that this configuration produces an inherent sensitivity gain over single isolated receptor-based sensory molecules.