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Review
. 2013 Nov 26;3(4):615-637.
doi: 10.3390/nano3040615.

Molecularly Imprinted Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications

Muhammad Irshad  1 , Naseer Iqbal  2 , Adnan Mujahid  3 , Adeel Afzal  4   5 , Tajamal Hussain  6 , Ahsan Sharif  7 , Ejaz Ahmad  8 , Muhammad Makshoof Athar  9
Affiliations
Review

Molecularly Imprinted Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications

Muhammad Irshad et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

Molecular imprinting is a well-established technology to mimic antibody-antigen interaction in a synthetic platform. Molecularly imprinted polymers and nanomaterials usually possess outstanding recognition capabilities. Imprinted nanostructured materials are characterized by their small sizes, large reactive surface area and, most importantly, with rapid and specific analysis of analytes due to the formation of template driven recognition cavities within the matrix. The excellent recognition and selectivity offered by this class of materials towards a target analyte have found applications in many areas, such as separation science, analysis of organic pollutants in water, environmental analysis of trace gases, chemical or biological sensors, biochemical assays, fabricating artificial receptors, nanotechnology, etc. We present here a concise overview and recent developments in nanostructured imprinted materials with respect to various sensor systems, e.g., electrochemical, optical and mass sensitive, etc. Finally, in light of recent studies, we conclude the article with future perspectives and foreseen applications of imprinted nanomaterials in chemical sensors.

Keywords: molecularly imprinted polymers; nanomaterials; nanotechnology; sensors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of molecular imprinting.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of synthetic route for magnetic imprinted nanoparticles (Imp-NPs). Adopted from [33].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Selectivity comparison of Au-NPs/MIP/GCE (glassy carbon electrode), adopted from [59]. Use parenthesis for µA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Current responses of the chlortetracycline-imprinted and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) for different analytes, adopted from [65].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparison of different imprinted and non-imprinted polymers (NIP) to evaluate the adsorption selectivity for lysozyme (Lys), cytochrome C (Cyc), ribonuclease A (RNase A) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), respectively, at a concentration of 0.5 mg mL−1 for all. Adopted from [73].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Comparison of the QCM sensor responses for the imprinted titania layer and nanoparticles to different capric acid concentrations. The inside graph shows the frequency responses when shifted from fresh oil to waste oil; nanoparticle electrode offers a better response. Adopted from [82].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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