Innovative Methods of Synthesis and Characterization for Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

The characterization of these molecularly imprinted polymers is essential to understanding their binding dynamics and structural properties. Through the analysis of the current research, it is found that there are overlaps in the methods used by scholars. The Langmuir equation is frequently applied to model the adsorption isotherms of MIPs, providing critical insight into the capacity and affinity of the binding sites. Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) plays a crucial role in identifying the functional groups involved in the imprinting process and confirming the successful formation of specific binding sites. UV-visible spectrophotometry is employed to monitor the absorption characteristics of the polymers, offering data on the interactions between the template molecules and the polymer matrix. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) provides detailed visualization of the internal structure of MIPs at the nanoscale, revealing the morphology and size of the imprinted cavities. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) assesses the thermal stability and composition of the polymers, identifying decomposition patterns that are indicative of the material’s robustness under different conditions. Finally, the Laser Particle Size Analyzer is used to measure the size distribution of the polymer particles, which is critical for determining the uniformity and efficiency of the imprinting process. The six characterization methods discussed in this paper provide a comprehensive understanding of MIP, and it is hoped that in the future, more optimized design solutions will emerge and their applications in various fields will be enhanced.

Synthesis and Solid Phase Extraction Performance Study of NNAL-specific Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Using Dummy Templates

Dummy molecularly imprinted polymers （DMIPs） for 4-（methylnitrosamino）-1-（3-pyridyl）-1-butanol （NNAL） were produced using three structural analogues as dummy template molecules. The chosen analogues were 4-（acetymethylamino）-1-（3-pyridyl）-butanol, 4- （methylamino）-1-（3-pyridyl）-1-butanol, and 1-（3-pyridyl）-1,4,-butanediol. The molecular recognition characteristics of the produced polymers were evaluated by X-ray photoelec- tron spectroscopy （XPS） and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）. Interactions between NNAL and methacrylic acid should be cooperative hydrogen bonds while the ni- trogen atom of the pyridine ring and the oxygen atom of the nitroso group in NNAL are two of the hydrogen-bond acceptors. It was further demonstrated that DMIP synthesized by 4-（acetymethylamino）-1-（3-pyridyl）-butanol had the best binding performance by XPS and FT-IR. Then dummy molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction （DMISPE） was developed for the determination of the analyte using the hit polymer as the sorbing material. Under optimal conditions, the recovery of NNAL dissolved in standard solution reached 93%. And the investigated polymer exhibited much higher binding of NNAL when nicotine was acted as the competitive molecule. Also the proposed method was applied to the measurement of NNAL spiked in blank urine samples with recoveries ranging from 87.2% to 101.2%.

A novel surface molecularly imprinted polymer as the solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the selective determination of ampicillin sodium in milk and blood samples

Surface molecularly imprinted polymers （SMIPs） for selective adsorption of ampicillin sodium were synthesized using surface molecular imprinting technique with silica gel as a support. The physical and morphological characteristics of the polymers were investigated by scanning electron microscope （SEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）, elemental analysis and nitrogen adsorption-desorption test. The obtained results showed that the SMIPs displayed great adsorption capacity （13.5 lag/mg）, high recognition ability （the imprinted factor is 3.2） and good binding kinetics for ampicillin sodium. Finally, as solid phase extraction adsorbents, the SMIPs coupled with HPLC method were validated and applied for the enrichment, purification and determination of anapicillin sodium in real milk and blood samples. The averages of spiked accuracy ranged from 92.1% to 107.6%. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 4.6%. This study provides a new and promising method for enriching, extracting and determining ampicillin sodium in complex biological samples.

Molecularly imprinted polymer based on upconversion nanoparticles for highly selective and sensitive determination of Ochratoxin A

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based on upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) was successfully synthesized for determination of Ochratoxin A (OTA). The MIP was developed on the silica-coated UCNPs using N-(1-hydroxy-2-naphthoyl amido)-(L)-phenylalanine (HNA-Phe) as the alternative template. The final composite combined the advantages of the high selectivity of MIP with the high fluorescence intensity of UCNPs which was selective and sensitive to OTA. Under the optimal condition, the fluorescence intensity of UCNPs@SiO2@MIP decreases linearly when the concentration of OTA increases from 0.05 to 1.0 mg/L. The detection limit of OTA with the method was 0.031 mg/L. At three spiked concentration levels (50, 100 and 200 μg/kg), the recovery ranges of OTA in corn, rice and feed are 88.0%–91.6%, 80.2%–91.6% and 89.2%–90.4%, respectively.

Preparation of high selective molecularly imprinted polymers for tetracycline by precipitation polymerization

High selective molecularly imprinted polymers （MIPs） for tetracycline have been prepared by precipitation polymerization. Effects of monomer and solvent, the ratio of monomer and template and the characterization of the polymer were investigated by frontal chromatography and selectivity experiment. The results clearly indicated that the polymer, which had the highest molecular recognition abilities for tetracycline antibiotics, had been received.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Selective Extraction of Crystal Violet from Natural Seawater coupled with HighPerformance Liquid Chromatographic Determination

Molecularly imprinted polymers （MIPs） were prepared by the bulk polymerization using crystal violet as the template molecule, and the methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimetheacrylate as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Sys- tematic investigations of synthetic conditions were conducted. The surface morphology and recognition mechanism of the obtained polymers were studied using scanning electron microscope and spectrophotometric analysis. MIPs showed high atTmity to template molecule and were successfully applied as special solid-phase extraction sorbent for selective extraction of crystal violet from natural seawater. An off-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction （MISPE） method followed by high-performance liquid chroma- tography with diodearray detection for the analysis of crystal violet was also established. MISPE columns have good recoveries for crystal violet standard solutions and good linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 0-200 ~tg L-1 （R2 〉 0.99）. Finally, two natural seawater samples were investigated. The recoveries of spiked seawater on the MISPE columns were from 44.47% to 62.34%, the relative standard deviation （n=3） being in the range of 2.89%-5.96%.

Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Particles by Suspension Polymerization in Silicon Oil

Molecularly imprinted polymers using 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid （2,4-D） as templates were prepared by suspension polymerization in silicon oil. The polymer particles exhibited regular shape in the micro-scale range. The adsorbing experiments indicated that the imprinted polymer particles possessed higher affinity to 2,4-D than the non-imprinted polymer particles.

Fluorescent competitive assay for melamine using dummy molecularly imprinted polymers as antibody mimics

A fluorescent competitive assay for melamine was first developed utilizing dummy molecularly imprinted polymers（DMIPs） as artificial antibodies. This method is based on the competition between fluorescent substances and the unlabeled analyte for binding sites in synthesized DMIPs and the decreased binding of fluorescent substances to DMIPs due to increased concentrations of melamine in the solutions. DMIPs for melamine were synthesized under a hot water bath in the presence of the initiator azobisisobutyronitrile（AIBN） using 2,4-diamino-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine（DAMT） as a dummy template, methacrylic acid（MAA） as a functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate（EGDMA） as a crosslinking agent. The adsorption capacity and selectivity of DMIPs for melamine were evaluated by the isothermal adsorption curve and Scatchard analysis. The evaluation results showed that the synthesized DMIPs had specific recognition sites for melamine and the maximum adsorption amount was 1 066.33 μg g^（-1）. Later, 5-（4,6-d ichlorotriazinyl） amino fluorescein（DTAF） with a triazine ring, which s lightly resembles m elamine, w as selected as the fluorescent substance. The fluorescent competitive assay using DMIPs as t he antibody mimics was finally established by selecting and optimizing the reaction solvents, DMIPs amount, DTAF concentration, and incubation time. The optimal detection system showed a linear response w ithin range of 0.05-40 mg L^（-1） and the limit of detection（LOD） was 1.23 μg L^（-1）. It was successfully applied to the detection of melamine in spiked milk samples wi th satisfactory recoveries（71.9 to 86.3%）. According to the comparative analysis, the result of optimized fluorescent competitive assay re vealed excellent agreement with the HPLC-MS/MS result for melamine.

Preparation of Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Selective Isolation and Determination of Kaempferol and Protoapigenone in Macrothelypteris torresiana

Novel uniform-sized magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers （MMIPs） were synthe- sized for selective recognition of active antitumor ingredients of kaempferol （KMF） and protoapi- genone （PA） in Macrothelypteris torresiana （M. torresiana） by surface molecular imprinting tech- nique in this study. Super paramagnetic core-sheU nanoparticles （γ-MPS-SiO2@Fe3O4） were used as seeds, KMF as template molecule, acrylamide （AM） as functional monomer, and N, N＇-methylene bisacrylamide （BisAM） as cross-linker. The prepared MMIPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Fourier transform infrared spectrum fiT/R）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and thermo-gravimetric analysis （TGA）, respectively. The recognition capacity of MMIPs was 2.436 times of non-imprinted polymers. The adsorption results based on kinetics and isotherm analysis were in accordance with the pseudo-second-order model （R2=0.9980） and the Langmuir adsorption model （R2=0.9944）. The value of E （6.742 kJ/mol） calculated from the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model suggested that the physical adsorption via hydrogen-bonding might be predominant. The Scatchard plot showed a single line （R2=0.9172） and demonstrated the homogeneous recognition sites on MMIPs for KMF. The magnetic solid phase extraction （MSPE） based on MMIPs as sorbent was established for fast and selective enrichment of KMF and its structural analogue PA from the crude extract of M. torresiana and then KMF and PA were detected by HPLC-UV. The established method showed good performance and satisfactory results for real sample analysis. It also showed the feasi- bility of MMIPs for selective recognition of active structural analogues from complex herbal extracts.

Development and Characterization of an Electrochemical Sensor for Cinchonidine Detection Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer with Modified Rosin as Cross-linker

Molecularly imprinted polymers（MIPs） were applied as molecular recognition elements to an electro- chemical sensor for cinchonidine（CD）. A kind of MIP was synthesized with cinchonidine as template, modified ro- sin（ethylene glycol maleic rosinate acrylate） containing the skeleton of phenanthrene rings as cross-linker and me- thylacrylic acid as functional monomer. MIP membrane was prepared on a glassy carbon electrode for the determina- tion of CD via free radical polymerization method. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） and cyclic vol- tammetry（CV） were used to characterize the membrane electrochemical behavior in electrode fabrication process. The experimental conditions were discussed. Under optimum conditions, it was found that the response of peak cur- rents was linear to the concentration of CD in a range of 0.013-2.26 mmol/L. The detection limit for CD is 1 μmol/L the relative standard deviation for 100 μmol/L CD is 1.34% and the incubation time is 2 min. The sensor was applied to the determination of CD in urine samples with satisfactory results.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers on Chloromethyl Polystyrene Resin Prepared via RAFT Polymerization

Surface molecularly imprinted polymers （SMIP） was prepared via the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer （RAFT） polymerization on the chloromethyl polystyrene resin （CPR） in the presence of the template D-phenylalanine. The structure of SMIP was characterized by FTIR and SEM. The adsorption behavior of D-phenylalanine of SMIP was preliminarily investigated.

Application of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food—A Highly Selective and Innovative Approach

The increasing application of pesticides for agricultural purposes involves serious risk to the environment and human health due to either exposure or through residues in food and drinking water. Since food safety is of mandatory importance there is a growing interest on the development of selective, simple, rapid, cost-effective and reliable analytical methodologies in order to ensure that pesticides residues should not be found at levels above the established maximum pesticide residue limits (MRLs). In recent years, a new methodology based on the development of molecularly imprinting polymers (MIPs) allows not only pre-concentration and cleaning of the sample but also selective extraction of the target analyte, which is crucial, particularly when the sample is complex and impurities can interfere with quantification. The scope of this review is to provide a general overview on MIPs field, with emphasis on MIP preparation and its use as sorbents for solid-phase extraction. This paper will be focused on the review of the current state of the art in the use of MIPs as selective materials in molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) for the analysis of pesticide residues from food matrices. A review of preparation and application of MIPs in food matrices, will also be discussed.

STUDY ON THE NON-COVALENT INTERACTION OF APIGENIN MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMERS BY SPECTROMETRY

The non-covalent interaction between apigenin (API) and different functional monomers (α-methylacrylic acid (MAA), acrylamide (AM), 2-vinylpyridine (2-Vpy) and combined functional monomers (AM/2-Vpy)) was determined by UV spectrometry, and a series of apigenin molecularly imprinted polymers (API-MIPs) was synthesized with different functional monomers through molecular imprinting technology. The relationship between the non-covalent interaction of template/functional monomer and absorption of MIPs also was studied. The results showed that the order of the strength of the non-covalent interaction between API and different functional monomers in tetrahydrofuran (THF) is as follows: 2-Vpy> AM/2-Vpy>AM>MAA, which is positive correlation to the absorption capability of corresponding MIPs, and 2-Vpy is the optimum functional monomer among the used monomer for preparing API- MIPs.

Catalytical oxidation of styrene by molecularly imprinted polymer with phenylacetic acid as template and hemin as co-monomer

This letter used the molecular imprinting technology to build up the microenvironment around co-monomer bemin to mimic the cytochrome P450 catalyzing the epoxidation of styrene. The results showed that the conversion rates of products were obviously enhanced by molecularly imprinted polymers, compared to free heroin solution, using three kinds of oxidants. The used axial ligand in polymers synthesis also improved the total conversion rates.

A New Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Solid-phase Extraction of Cotinine from Human Urine

A molecularly imprinted polymer （MIP）, prepared around a cotinine template, has been synthesized. The feasibility of using the polymer for solid-phase extraction （SPE） of cotinine from biological samples has been investigated. The results show that cotinine can be quantitatively retained and eluted from the polymer. Experiments with human urine samples indicate that clean target analyte is obtained for HPLC with UV detection using the protocol.

Preparation of High Selective Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for (S)-4-Phenyl-2-oxazolidinone

（S）-4-Phenyl-2-oxazolidinone imprinted polymers were prepared by using methacrylic acid （MAA） as the functional monomer, and divinylbenzene （DVB） as crosslinker. The factors, which influence the selectivity of the polymers were explored. Effective separation was observed for racemic 4-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone in mobile phase of acetonitrile. The investigation of mobile phase suggested that the hydrogen bonds between template and functional monomer was a primary factor in chiral recognition, while the preparation of polymers implied that the л-л stacking interaction between template and crosslinker played a role in imprinting procedure.

A NOVEL MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMER:SYNTHESIS AND ADSORPTION BEHAVIOR OF GATIFLOXACIN

A kind of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIPs) with high selectivity was prepared using methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as crosslinker and Gatifloxacin as template. The effect of various parameters such as volume of solvent, functional monomer dosage, crosslinker dosage and polymerization time were investigated. The selective binding experiment for substrates show that the affinity and selectivity for Gatifloxacin were higher than that for blank polymer. Scatchard analysis show that the MIPs recognized template with two kinds of binding sites. The dissociation constant Kd and maximum adsorption quantity Qmax of these two kinds of binding sites were calculated: Kd1 and Qmax1 of the binding sites with high affinity were 8.67×10-4 mol/L and 28.19μmol/g, while Kd2 and Qmax2 of the binding sites with low affinity were1.05×10-3 mol/L and 33.20μmol/g respectively.

RECENT ADVANCES IN THE PREPARATION OF MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMERS VIA CONTROLLED RADICAL POLYMERIZATION TECHNIQUES

Molecular imprinting technique is a simple and efficient method for the preparation of polymer materials (i.e., molecularly imprinted polymers, MIPs) with tailor-made recognition sites for certain target molecules. The resulting MIPs have proven to be versatile synthetic receptors due to their high specific recognition ability, favorable mechanical, thermal and chemical stability, and ease of preparation. Recent years have witnessed significant progress in the synthesis and applications of MIPs. This review focus on the recent developments and advances in the preparation of MIPs via various controlled radical polymerization techniques.

Recent advances in magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers and their application in the food safety analysis

Food safety is a worldwide concern and is directly related to human health.Therefore,convenient,effective,and economical methods and technologies for food safety analysis have been developed continuously.Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers(MMIPs)have gained extensive attention in recent years,as they have high selectivity,high adsorption capacity,and are easy to isolate from food samples.Recently,advanced strategies for the synthesis of MMIPs have been proposed to solve problems of template leakage and non-specific adsorption,and to increase the biocompatibility,adsorption rate,as well as adsorption capacity of the imprinted materials.In this review,we focus on new attempts at modification of magnetic core and MMIPs’surfaces,and the selection of template,functional monomer,cross-linker as well as porogen.Studies are summarized that used advanced MMIPs for the recognition and adsorption of pesticide residues,veterinary drug residues,mycotoxins,contaminants,and adulterations in foodstuffs over the last 5 years.Finally,some still existing challenges and future prospects to further promote MMIPs properties are also discussed.

Development and Validation of an Impedimetric Sensor Modified with Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Direct Determination of Bisphenol A in Bioanalytics

There is a strong correlation between bisphenol A(BPA)and the risks of endocrine disruption in humans.However,the mechanism behind this correlation is still unknown due to the challenge of accurately assessing BPA levels in biological matrices.Herein,we demonstrate a molecularly imprinted polymer(MIP)modified impedimetric sensor treated with bovine serum albumin(BSA)not only reduces the impact of protein interference but also maintains both specificity and sensitivity for the precise analysis of BPA.The platinum disc electrode was coated with MIP via electrochemical polymerization of o-phenylenediamine(o-PD)in the presence of BPA as a template,and free sites were then blocked with 1%BSA.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)was utilized for the detection of BPA.The linear range for detection was between 1.0 pg/L and 10.0 ng/L,with a detection limit(LOD)of 0.28 pg/L.The sensor presented a good selectivity over structurally similar steroid hormones and BPA metabolites.To validate the performance of the proposed sensor in the presence of possible interfering proteins,it was used to quantify BPA in real samples without any prior treatment.These findings indicate that such an impedimetric sensor can be used to measure BPA in complex matrices.