Molecular Recognition and Catalysis by Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Catalysts: Thermodynamic and Kinetic Surveys on the Specific Behaviors

Research progress of sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers in analytical and biomedical analysis

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have had tremendous impact on biomimetic recognition due to their precise specificity and high affinity comparable to that of antibodies, which has shown the great advantages of easy preparation, good stability and low cost. The combination of MIPs with other analytical technologies can not only achieve rapid extraction and sensitive detection of target compounds, improving the level of analysis, but also achieve precise targeted delivery, in-vivo imaging and other applications. Among them, the recognition mechanism plays a vital role in chemical and biological sensing, while the improvement of the recognition element, such as the addition of new nanomaterials, can greatly improve the analytical performance of the sensor, especially in terms of selectivity. Currently, due to the need for rapid diagnosis and improved sensing properties (such as selectivity, stability, and cost-effectiveness), researchers are investigating new recognition elements and their combinations to improve the recognition capabilities of chemical sensing and bio-sensing. Therefore, this review mainly discusses the design strategies of optical sensors, electrochemical sensors and photoelectric sensors with molecular imprinting technology and their applications in environmental systems, food fields, drug detection and biology including bacteria and viruses.

A computational approach to study functional monomer-protein molecular interactions to optimize protein molecular imprinting

Molecular imprinting has become a promising approach for synthesis of polymeric materials having binding sites with a predetermined selectivity for a given analyte, the so-called molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which can be used as artificial receptors in various application fields. Realization of binding sites in a MIP involves the formation of prepolymerization complexes between a template molecule and monomers, their subsequent polymerization, and the removal of the template. It is believed that the strength of the monomer-template interactions in the prepolymerization mixture influences directly on the quality of the binding sites in a MIP and consequently on its performance. In this study, a computational approach allowing the rational selection of an appropriate monomer for building a MIP capable of selectively rebinding macromolecular analytes has been developed. Molecular docking combined with quantum chemical calculations was used for modeling and comparing molecular interactions among a model macromolecular template, immunoglobulin G (IgG), and 1 of 3 electropolymerizable functional monomers: m-phenylenediamine (mPD), dopamine, and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, as well as to predict the probable arrangement of multiple monomers around the protein. It was revealed that mPD was arranged more uniformly around IgG participating in multiple H-bond interactions with its polar residues and, therefore, could be considered as more advantageous for synthesis of a MIP for IgG recognition (IgG-MIP). These theoretical predictions were verified by the experimental results and found to be in good agreement showing higher binding affinity of the mPD-based IgG-MIP toward IgG as compared with the IgG-MIPs generated from the other 2 monomers.

Molecular imprinting science and technology: a survey of the literature for the years 2004-2011

Herein, we present a survey of the literature covering the development of molecular imprinting science and technology over the years 2004-2011. In total, 3779 references to the original papers, reviews, edited volumes and monographs from this period are included, along with recently identified uncited materials from prior to 2004, which were omitted in the first instalment of this series covering the years 1930-2003. In the presentation of the assembled references, a section presenting reviews and monographs covering the area is followed by sections describing fundamental aspects of molecular imprinting including the development of novel polymer formats. Thereafter, literature describing efforts to apply these polymeric materials to a range of application areas is presented. Current trends and areas of rapid development are discussed.

Development of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers based on carbon nanotubes - application for trace analysis of pyrethroids in fruit matrices

The sensitive and efficient magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) were successfully synthesized using carbon nanotubes as matrix and Fe3O4 particles as magnetic ingredient. Tetraethyl orthosilicate was used as modification material of the carbon nanotubes. Cyhalothrin, methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were used as template molecule, functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Azo-isobutyronitrile and polyvinylpyrrolidone were used as initiator and dispersant, respectively. The MMIPs were used for the separation of pyrethroids including beta-cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin, cyphenothrin and permethrin in fruit samples followed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis. The polymers were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, transmission electron microscopy and a physical property measurement system. The isothermal absorption experiment, kinetics absorption experiment and selectivity of MMIPs were studied in detail. Scatchard analysis revealed that two kinds of different binding sites existed in MMIPs. The maximum adsorption capacities of two binding sites were 65.21 and 189.83mgg(-1), and dissociation constants were 7.11 and 30.40μgmL(-1), respectively. The kinetic property of MMIPs was well fitted to the second-order equation. The selectivity experiment indicated that MMIPs had higher selectivity toward cyhalothrin and its structural analogs than reference compound. The feasibility of detecting pyrethroids from real samples was testified in spiked fruit samples with different concentrations (0.025, 0.25 and 2.5mgkg(-1)). The LODs of beta-cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin, cyphenothrin and permethrin were 0.0072, 0.0035, 0.0062 and 0.0068mgkg(-1), respectively. Precisions of intra-day and inter-day ranging from 2.6% to 4.3% and 4.2% to 5.6% were obtained, respectively. This method was applied to determine pyrethroids in different fruit samples including apple, pear, orange, grape and peach, and satisfied recoveries (82.4-101.7%) were obtained.

Molecularly imprinted polymers: present and future prospective

Molecular Imprinting Technology (MIT) is a technique to design artificial receptors with a predetermined selectivity and specificity for a given analyte, which can be used as ideal materials in various application fields. Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs), the polymeric matrices obtained using the imprinting technology, are robust molecular recognition elements able to mimic natural recognition entities, such as antibodies and biological receptors, useful to separate and analyze complicated samples such as biological fluids and environmental samples. The scope of this review is to provide a general overview on MIPs field discussing first general aspects in MIP preparation and then dealing with various application aspects. This review aims to outline the molecularly imprinted process and present a summary of principal application fields of molecularly imprinted polymers, focusing on chemical sensing, separation science, drug delivery and catalysis. Some significant aspects about preparation and application of the molecular imprinting polymers with examples taken from the recent literature will be discussed. Theoretical and experimental parameters for MIPs design in terms of the interaction between template and polymer functionalities will be considered and synthesis methods for the improvement of MIP recognition properties will also be presented.

A temperature-responsive nanoreactor

An originally designed temperature-responsive nanoreactor is reported. The nanoreactor is made of Ag nanoparticles and a functional polymer composite of poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) and poly(2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS). At a relatively low temperature (e.g., 20 °C), this nanoreactor displayed weak reactivity because of the interpolymer complexation between PAAm and PAMPS, which largely restricted the access of reactants to the encapsulated Ag nanoparticles. On the contrary, at a relatively high temperatures (e.g., 40 °C), the nanoreactor demonstrated significant catalytic activity resulting from the dissociation of the interpolymer complexation between PAAm and PAMPS, which allowed reactants to get access to the encapsulated Ag nanoparticles. By taking account of previously reported PNIPAm-based nanoreactors, which show inverse temperature response, i.e., reactivity decreases whilst temperature increases, this temperature-responsive nanoreactor would greatly facilitate and enrich the increasing studies on smart nanomaterials, generating numerous applications in a wide range of areas, such as catalysis and sensing.