Influence of the Polymerization Conditions on the Performance of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

Abstract

Although molecular imprinting in organic polymers was introduced by Wulff more than 30 years ago, 1 this promising technology has yet to realize its full commercial potential, partially due to the lack of a clear understanding of how physical factors affect the polymerization process and what basic rules should be applied in order to produce synthetic receptors with the required characteristics. This arises mainly from the complex nature of the polymerization reaction in cross-linked systems which depends on many interrelated factors. Among the most important physical factors affecting the polymerization process, as well as the recognition properties of the materials produced, are temperature, type of initiation, pressure, magnetic field, volume of the polymerization mixture, dielectric constants of monomers and solvent, and polymerization time. This paper was inspired by the urgent need to summarize the knowledge generated concerning how polymerization conditions affect the quality of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in order to help the imprinting community make rational and effective choices and maximize their chances for success.

Tailor-made molecularly imprinted polymers for dimethoate and deltamethrin recognition: synthesis, characterization and chromatographic evaluation

“…While NIP1 presents interconnected spherical and small globules that form a porous structure, NIP2 has a more compact arrangement. Overall, the results of the SEM analyses for the NIP systems confirm the importance of using a suitable cross-linking monomer, for controlling the polymeric matrix morphology [29].…”

“…For the imprinting process, dichloromethane was used as the porogen as it can bind to the dmt and dm templates via hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions and at the same time, since it is a small molecule, and it will not greatly disturb the resulting imprinting process, nor lead to excessively large cavities. The influence of the porogen on the strength of the non-covalent interactions and on the polymer morphology is well known, as it is responsible for creating the pores in the MIPs thus assuring reasonable "flow through" properties within the macroporous structure [2,29]. Obviously, the choice of porogen is limited to the solubility of all the entities (M, template, initiator and CrL) involved in the imprinting system.…”

The rational development of molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors for protein detection

“…13 Other factors which affect the quality of MIPs include: monomer composition, solvents, polymerisation time, temperature, even the application of a magnetic field. 14 Imprinted polymers can be produced in bulk, in thin film format and as membranes 15 or as a suspension of spherical particles with well-defined size. 16 The high specificity and stability of MIPs renders them promising alternatives to enzymes, antibodies, and natural receptors for use in sensor technology.…”

Influence of salt ions on binding to molecularly imprinted polymers

“…The synthesis of MIPs is a complex process involving a large number of parameters whose interplay has not been fully elucidated [3]. Polymers were mainly developed by a trial-and-error approach and optimizations were often limited to variations of one parameter at a time in the beginning of the molecular imprinting era.…”