Preparation and applications of electrochemical chemosensors based on carbon-nanomaterial-modified molecularly imprinted polymers

Abstract

The past few decades have witnessed a rapid development in electrochemical chemosensors (ECCSs). The integration of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) has endowed ECCSs with high selectivity and sensitivity toward target detection. Due to the integrated merits of MIPs and CNMs, CNM-modified MIPs as ECCSs have been widely reported and have excellent detection applications. This review systematically summarized the general categories, preparation strategies, and applications of ECCSs based on CNM-modified MIPs. The categories include CNM-modified MIPs often hybridized with various materials and CNM-encapsulated or CNM-combined imprinting silica and polymers on working electrodes or other substrates. The preparation strategies include the polymerization of MIPs on CNM-modified substrates, co-polymerization of MIPs and CNMs on substrates, drop-casting of MIPs on CNM-modified substrates, self-assembly of CNMs/MIP complexes on substrates, and so forth. We discussed the in situ polymerization, electro-polymerization, and engineering structures of CNM-modified MIPs. With regard to potential applications, we elaborated the detection mechanisms, signal transducer modes, target types, and electrochemical sensing of targets in real samples. In addition, this review discussed the present status, challenges, and prospects of CNMmodified MIP-based ECCSs. This comprehensive review is desirable for scientists from broad research fields and can promote the further development of MIP-based functional materials, CNM-based hybrid materials, advanced composites, and hybrid materials.

Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles Based Sensor for Cocaine Detection

“…In this case, the resistance charge transfer (Rct) electrical element is usually affected by the events occurring at the electrode surface, such as the binding between a sensing receptor and its target [17].In order to obtain a sensor suitable for onsite testing, it is highly desirable to employ stable and robust sensing elements. Previous works have demonstrated that the use of molecularly imprinted polymers in electrochemical sensing can result in robust, sensitive and specific diagnostic systems [18][19][20]. Particularly, molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (nanoMIPs), prepared using a solid phase, have shown to be a powerful and robust mimic of antibodies in sensors and assays [21][22][23], while providing convenient and animal-free synthesis.…”

Point-of-Care Diagnostics: Molecularly Imprinted Polymers and Nanomaterials for Enhanced Biosensor Selectivity and Transduction

“…Thin MIP layers and nanomaterials improve mass transfer addressing challenges related to effective template removal and analyte binding (46). Conductive nanomaterials and MIPs synergistically improve biosensor efficacy by reducing the latter's insulating nature and mitigating the former's inherent dispersal and toxicity challenges (167). Another MIP biosensor challenge, limited selection of monomers and crosslinkers for custom analyte binding, is mitigated through intelligent application of computer modeling (103) and adoption of SNMs as nanocarrier (166).…”

“…Many MIP-based nanobiosensors adopt silica as the functional monomer matrix for containing selective binding sites for the target analyte (166,167). Silica readily adapts itself to this application as a result of its biocompatibility, facile functionalization through silanization, potential for periodic porosity, high surface area to volume ratio, tunable pore size, and chemical stability.…”

“…However, when MIPs are applied to ECM transduction strategies a fundamental handicap becomes apparent. The insulating nature of most functional monomers causes MIPs to inhibit ECM signal generation (167,171,194,195), thus sacrificing sensitivity. Molecularly imprinted electrodes have been shown to suffer from the adhesion of large, dynamic molecules, like enzymes.…”

Designing and controlling the morphology of spherical molecularly imprinted polymers

“…In the past three years, a series of excellent reviews focused on the preparation [5][6][7] and application of MIPs [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] have been published. In those review articles, 2,6,7 the brief history of the molecular imprinting technique, the type of molecular imprinting (including noncovalent imprinting, covalent imprinting, semicovalent imprinting), and the essential elements of molecular imprinting like functional monomer, cross-linker, target template, initiators and porogens have been introduced in detail many times.…”