erization ampli fi ed potentiometric sensing platform for radical reactions using polyion sensitive membrane electrodes as transducers †

Beneting from the extremely large number of propagation steps that result from a single initiation event, free radical polymerization reactions offer an attractive signal amplication platform that is sensitive to the presence of trace concentrations of radicals. When a free radical is generated and transferred to carbon–carbon double bonds containing vinylic or aromatic monomers, rapid step-growth polymerization results in the formation of large macromolecule chains. Harvesting the cascade processes inherent in a free radical polymerization reaction may amplify any event which results in the generation of radicals. Design and synthesis of a dual-functional macromolecule or an ensemble that is capable of selective target recognition and initiating polymerization reactions may convert a single recognition event into plenty of radical polymerization processes. Various kinds of elegant readout strategies have been explored for the generated polymers. While semi-quantitative results can be obtained from the macroscopically observable polymers, quantitative results are available from electrochemical or spectral methods. Although high sensitivities were obtained by these elegant strategies, they may suffer from the dependence on tedious synthesis,