Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) in chemical analysis - A review

- Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) are a valuable tool in analytical chemistry.
- Improved sensitivity and selectivity can be achieved when using PIM-based sensors.
- Analyte extraction and back-extraction can be performed simultaneously using PIMs.
- Sample separation and pre-concentration can be achieved through the use of PIMs.
- PIM-based passive sampling simplifies the analytical process and avoids biofouling.

This review highlights the increasing interest in polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) in analytical chemistry as they are adapted to new and novel applications. PIMs are polymer-based liquid membranes and were first introduced 50 years ago as the sensing membranes in ion-selective electrodes and optodes. More recently however, PIMs have been used for other applications in analytical chemistry such as for sample separation, sample pre-concentration, electro-driven extraction, and passive sampling, and have also been incorporated into on-line and automated analysis systems.The present review provides a general overview of the analytical chemistry applications of PIMs reported in the literature to date and illustrates their versatility for solving challenging chemical analysis problems.

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