Supramolecular strategies in chemical sensing

Supramolecular chemistry can be utilized for chemical sensor technology with compounds like cyclodextrins, paracyclophanes and calixarenes that are capable to form host–guest complexes. Optimizations of the structures by changing the diameter and the height of the cavity or converting the polarity into hydrophobic ones allow to tune the sensitivity of these materials towards different analytes. Further improvements of sensor coating were available with the development of molecular imprinting techniques that generate rigid and sensitive layers directly on the transducer of interest. This enables the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the liquid phase down to a concentration of 30 ng/l.