Molecularly Imprinted Materials: Towards the Next Generation
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Molecularly Imprinted Materials: Towards the Next Generation Lei Ye and Klaus Mosbach* Center for Molecular Imprinting, Pure and Applied Biochemistry Chemical Center, Lund University Box 124, 221 00 Lund, Sweden Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This brief overview summarizes some recent developments from our Center for Molecular Imprinting related to the topic of this symposium. After a short presentation of the principle of molecular imprinting and recognition, the use of different materials including hybrids for the formation of the host will be discussed, followed by examples given of different formats used such as small polymer beads. In closing, potential directions for the next generation of molecular imprinting technology will be discussed. INTRODUCTION In the materials science area, defined structures in both organic and inorganic materials can be created using various structural templates to direct the fabrication process. As an example, polystyrene latex spheres have been used as template for the synthesis of highly ordered macroporous inorganic oxides [1]. Similarly, colloidal silica spheres were used to template a cross-linked polymer with ordered mesopores [2]. Following template removal, well-organized pore networks are formed in these materials, which have great potential uses in catalysis, separation technology, and biomaterials sciences. Not surprisingly, the same concept of template-assisted fabrication of defined structures has long been utilized in the research of molecular imprinting, aiming to generate molecular footprints in synthetic materials. The molecular imprinting technique has attracted enormous research interests over the past decade. Commercialization of molecularly imprinted materials is now one of the major goals among the imprinting community, and indeed we have seen several startup companies utilizing molecular imprinting as a platform technology to be established. Compared to the supramolecular chemical approach [3], molecular imprinting is straightforward in producing tailor-made recognition materials, which display binding characteristics similar to biological antibodies, but with much more pronounced physical and chemical robustness. Uses of molecularly imprinted materials for separation, catalysis, polymer-assisted synthesis and biomimetic sensors have been demonstrated over the past years. In general, molecular imprinting can be defined as a process of target directed synthesis of molecular hosts. For historical reasons, it has been largely related to the preparation of crosslinked synthetic polymers using a target molecule as a template. The complex formed between a template and appropriate functional monomers is fixed by co-polymerization with excess of a cross-linking monomer. After polymerization, the template is removed from the polymer matrix, which leaves binding sites specific for the original template, as well as its closely related structural analogues. Binding specificity of these sites is conferred by their well-defined shape and functionalitie
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