Molecularly imprinted polymers

Abstract

Molecular imprinting is a process that allows for the synthesis of artificial receptors for a given target molecule based on synthetic polymers. The target molecule acts as a template around which interacting and cross-linking monomers are arranged and co-polymerized to form a cast-like shell. In essence, a molecular memory is imprinted in the polymer, which is now capable of selectively binding the target. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) thus possess the most important feature of biological antibodies - specific molecular recognition. They can thus be used in applications where selective binding events are of importance, such as immunoassays, affinity separation, biosensors, and directed synthesis and catalysis. Since its beginnings in the 1970s, the technique of molecular imprinting has greatly diversified during the last decade both from a materials point of view and from an application point of view. Still, there is much room for further improvement. The key challenges, in particular the binding site homogeneity and water compatibility of MIPs, and the possibility of synthesizing MIPs specific for proteins, are actively addressed by research groups over the World. Other important points are the conception of composite materials based on MIPs, in order to include additional interesting properties into the material, and the synthesis of very small and quasi-soluble MIPs, close in size to proteins.