High selectivity and sensitivity sensor based on MIP and SPR in tapered plastic optical fibers for the detection of l-nicotine

A biomimetic sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) transduction, in connection with tapered plastic optical fiber (POF), has been developed for the marker-free, direct and selective detection of low molecular weight substances. The device has been experimentally tested for l-nicotine ((−)-1-methyl-2-(3-pyridyl)pyrrolidine, MW = 162.24). The sensor system developed made the selective and fast detection of l-nicotine possible, with a low cost, easy to realize and small sample volume procedure. The sensor can discriminate between l- and d-nicotine. The linearity range was from 0 to 10−3 M, and the sensitivity strongly depended on the characteristics of the tapered fiber, ranging from 1.3 × 104 nm/M, for a taper ratio 1.8, to 1.7 × 103 nm/M for a taper ratio 1, i.e. a not-tapered fiber.