Electrical detection and quantification of cesium derivatives

1. A detection apparatus for the detection and/or quantification of cesium ions Cs + in solution in a liquid medium comprising:

an electrical device comprising two electrodes and a substrate comprising at least one portion made of a semiconductor material, the electrodes being in electrical contact with said semiconductor material; and

a device for measuring the variation of the conduction current between the two electrodes,

wherein at least one ligand comprising at least one calix[n]arene group and at least one grafting group is bonded by grafting to the semiconductor material of the substrate of the electrical device or to one of the electrodes of the electrical device.

2. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor material is chosen from carbon-based materials, silicon-based materials, germanium-based materials, zinc-based materials, gallium-based materials, indium-based materials, cadmium-based materials or an organic semiconductor material, including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate).

3. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , wherein the electrodes are made of a material chosen from gold, silver, palladium, platinum, titanium, copper, nickel and carbon nanotubes.

4. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said at least one calix[n]arene unit is a calix[4]arene unit in 1,3-alternate, crown-6-ether conformation.

5. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one ligand is bonded by grafting to the semiconductor material of the substrate of the electrical device;

the semiconductor material of the substrate of the electrical device is a silicon-based material, including at least one of unoxidized silicon nanowires and nanotubes,

and wherein:

the at least one ligand comprises a grafting group chosen from an alkyne group, an alkene group, a diazonium group or a triazonium group.

6. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one ligand is bonded by grafting to the semiconductor material of the substrate of the electrical device;

the semiconductor material of the substrate of the electrical device is an oxidized silicon-based material, including at least one of surface-oxidized silicon nanowires and nanotubes, and wherein:

the at least one ligand comprises a grafting group chosen from a silane group, being one of a trialkoxysilane group, trihalosilane group, a trimethoxysilane group, and trichlorosilane group.

7. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one ligand is bonded by grafting to carbon nanowires and/or nanotubes and wherein the ligand comprises a grafting group chosen from a diazonium group, a triazonium group, a pyrene group, an anthracene group, a porphyrin group, an amine group an alcohol group.

8. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one ligand comprises, in addition, a spacer group bonded via one end to the grafting group and at the other end to the calix[n]arene group.

9. The detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ligand is chosen from 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis(1-pyren-1-yloxycarbonyl-methoxy)calix[4]arene-crown-6 of formula I below:

and 1,3-alternate 25,27-bis(prop-2-ynyloxycarbonyl-methoxy)calix[4]arene-crown-6 of formula II below:

10. A process for the detection and/or quantification of cesium ions Cs + in solution in a liquid medium, which comprises:

bringing said liquid medium into contact with the electrical device of the detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ; and

measuring the variation of the conduction current between the two electrodes of the electrical device with the device for measuring the variation of the conduction current of the detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 .