Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for recognition and enrichment of polysaccharides from seaweed

New magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers with two templates were fabricated for the recognition of polysaccharides (fucoidan and alginic acid) from seaweed by magnetic solid‐phase extraction, and the materials were modified by seven types of deep eutectic solvents. It was found that the deep eutectic solvents magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers showed stronger recognition and higher recoveries for fucoidan and alginic acid than magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers, and the deep eutectic solvents‐4‐magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers had the best effects. The practical recovery of the two polysaccharides (fucoidan and alginic acid) purified with deep eutectic solvents‐4‐magnetic molecular imprinted polymers in seaweed under the optimal conditions were 89.87, and 92.0%, respectively, and the actual amounts extracted were 20.6 and 18.7 μg/g, respectively. To sum up, the developed method proved to be a novel and promising method for the recognition of complex polysaccharide samples from seaweed.     

Construction of a QCM sensor for detecting diethylstilbestrol in water based on the computational design of molecularly imprinted polymers

Combining molecular imprinting technology and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), the diethylstilbestrol-molecularly imprinted polymers (DES-MIPs) were designed. The LC-ωPBE/6-31G(d,p) method was chosen to predict the properties of DES-MIPs in this study. The calculated results showed that the complex formed from DES and methacrylic acid with molar ratio of 1:5 and ethylene dimethacrylate as cross-linking agent had the largest amount of hydrogen bonds, the lowest binding energy, and the optimal stability property. With the guidance of calculations, the DES-MIPs were used to prepare QCM electrode by embedding method to construct the DES-MIPs-QCM sensor. The experimental results displayed that the sensor had a high binding affinity for DES when the DES-MIPs was 15 mg and the coating volume was 10 µL. The minimum detection limit of the sensor for DES was 2.63 ng/mL in the range of 50 to 350 ng/mL. The DES-MIPs-QCM sensor exhibited high recognition capacity for DES compared to its structural analogs. The sensor had been successfully used for the determination of DES in the actual water samples.     

Ternary deep eutectic solvent magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for the dispersive magnetic solid‐phase microextraction of green tea

Ternary deep eutectic solvent magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers grafted on silica were developed for the selective recognition and separation of theophylline, theobromine, (+)‐catechin hydrate, and caffeic acid from green tea through dispersive magnetic solid‐phase microextraction. A new ternary deep eutectic solvent was adopted as a functional monomer. The materials obtained were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and powder X‐ray diffraction. The practical recovery of the theophylline, theobromine, (+)‐catechin hydrate, and caffeic acid isolated with ternary deep eutectic solvent magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers in green tea were 91.82, 92.13, 89.96, and 90.73%, respectively, and the actual amounts extracted were 5.82, 4.32, 18.36, and 3.69 mg/g, respectively. The new method involving the novel material coupled with dispersive magnetic solid‐phase microextraction showed outstanding recognition, selectivity and excellent magnetism, providing a new perspective for the separation of bioactive compounds.     

Exploration of a ternary deep eutectic solvent of methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide/chalcone/formic acid for the selective recognition of rutin and quercetin in Herba Artemisiae Scopariae

Methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide/chalcone/formic acid, a green ternary deep eutectic solvent, was applied as a functional monomer and dummy template simultaneously in the synthesis of a new molecularly imprinted polymer. Ternary deep eutectic solvent based molecularly imprinted polymers are used as a solid‐phase extraction sorbent in the separation and purification of rutin and quercetin from Herba Artemisiae Scopariae combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy were applied to characterize the deep eutectic solvent based molecularly imprinted polymers synthesized using different molar ratios of chalcone. The static and competitive adsorption tests were performed to examine the recognition ability of the molecularly imprinted polymers to rutin and quercetin. The ternary deep eutectic solvent consisting of formic acid/chalcone/methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (1:0.05:0.5) had the best molecular recognition effect. After optimization of the washing solvents (methanol/water, 1:9) and eluting solvents (acetonitrile/acetic acid, 9:1), a reliable analytical method was developed for strong recognition towards rutin and quercetin in Herba Artemisiae Scopariae with satisfactory extraction recoveries (rutin: 92.48%, quercetin: 94.23%). Overall, the chalcone ternary deep eutectic solvent‐based molecularly imprinted polymer coupled with solid‐phase extraction is an effective method for the selective purification of multiple bioactive compounds in complex samples.     

Deep eutectic solvents skeleton typed molecularly imprinted chitosan microsphere coated magnetic graphene oxide for solid‐phase microextraction of chlorophenols from environmental water

Novel molecularly imprinted chitosan microspheres were prepared on the surface of magnetic graphene oxide, with deep eutectic solvents both as a functional monomer and template. The prepared molecularly imprinted chitosan microspheres‐magnetic graphene oxide was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller surface area, thermogravimetric analysis were subsequently combined with solid‐phase micro‐extraction for simultaneous separation and enrichment of the extraction of chlorophenols from environmental water. Factors affecting the extraction efficiency of chlorophenols were optimized using response surface methodology. The actual extraction capacities under the optimal conditions (liquid to solid ratio = 3, cycles of adsorption/desorption = 5, 40°C extraction temperature, and extraction time for 35 min) were 86.90 mg/g. Compared to the traditional materials, the molecularly imprinted chitosan microspheres‐magnetic graphene oxide produced higher selectivity and extraction capacity.     

Hybrid molecularly imprinted polymers modified by deep eutectic solvents and ionic liquids with three templates for the rapid simultaneous purification of rutin,scoparone, and quercetin from Herba Artemisiae Scopariae

Different kinds of deep eutectic solvents based on choline chloride and ionic liquids based on 1‐methylimidazole were used to modify hybrid molecularly imprinted polymers with the monomer γ‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane‐methacrylic and three templates (rutin, scoparone, and quercetin). The materials were adopted as solid‐phase extraction packing agents, and were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The hybrid molecularly imprinted polymers modified by deep eutectic solvents had high recoveries and a strong recognition of rutin, scoparone, and quercetin in Herba Artemisiae Scopariae than those modified by ionic liquids. In the procedure of solid‐phase extraction, deep eutectic solvents‐2‐hybrid molecularly imprinted polymers were obtained with the best recoveries with rutin (92.27%), scoparone (87.51%), and quercetin (80.02%), and the actual extraction yields of rutin (5.6 mg/g), scoparone (2.3 mg/g), and quercetin (3.4 mg/g). Overall, the proposed approach with the high affinity of hybrid molecularly imprinted polymers might offer a novel method for the purification of complex samples.     

Deep eutectic solvents for the purification of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk

Deep eutectic solvents were used in both dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and solid‐phase extraction for the purification of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk. In the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure, deep eutectic solvents mixed with chloroform at different ratios (0:1–5:1, v/v) were used as the extraction agent to optimize the procedure, and the ratio of 2:1 v/v was found to be the best extraction agent with 87.23 and 83.17% recoveries of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol, respectively. Furthermore, deep eutectic solvents were also used to modify molecular imprinted polymers in solid‐phase extraction procedure, and the polymers were used to purify chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to characterize the polymers. The solid‐phase extraction recoveries with deep eutectic solvents with molecularly imprinted polymers (chloromycetin and thiamphenicol, two templates), molecularly imprinted polymers (without deep eutectic solvents), and nonimprinted polymers (without a template) for chloromycetin were 91.23, 82.64, and 57.3%, respectively, and recoveries for thiamphenicol were 87.02, 79.03, and 52.27%, respectively. The recoveries of chloromycetin and thiamphenicol from milk in the solid‐phase extraction procedure were higher than using deep eutectic solvents mixed with chloroform as the extraction agent in the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure.     

Ternary choline chloride/caffeic acid/ethylene glycol deep eutectic solvent as both a monomer and template in a molecularly imprinted polymer

A molecularly imprinted polymer based on a ternary deep eutectic solvent comprised of choline chloride/caffeic acid/ethylene glycol was prepared. The caffeic acid in the ternary deep eutectic solvent was used as both a monomer and template. The molecularly imprinted polymer based on the ternary deep eutectic solvent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis, atomic force microscopy, and elemental analysis. A series of molecularly imprinted polymers based on choline chloride/caffeic acid/ethylene glycol with different molar ratios was prepared and applied to the molecular recognition of polyphenols. A comparison of the recognition ability of molecularly imprinted polymers to polyphenols revealed that the choline chloride/caffeic acid/ethylene glycol (1:0.4:1, molar ratio) molecularly imprinted polymer had the best molecular recognition effect with 132 μg/g of protocatechuic acid, 104 μg/g of catechins, 80 μg/g of epicatechin, and 123 μg/g of caffeic acid in 6 h, as well as good molecular recognition ability for polyphenols from a Radix Asteris sample. These results show that the ternary deep eutectic solvent based molecularly imprinted polymer is a potential medium that can be applied to drug purification, drug delivery, and drug analysis.     

Surface‐imprinted magnetic nanoparticles for the selective enrichment and fast separation of fluoroquinolones in human serum

Surface enrofloxacin‐imprinted magnetic nanoparticles were prepared for the selective recognition and fast separation of fluoroquinolones in human serum by surface‐initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The surface morphology and imprinted behavior were investigated and optimized. The living/controlled nature of reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization reaction allowed the successful construction of well‐defined imprinted polymer layer outside the Fe₃O₄ core. Such molecularly imprinted polymers exhibited superparamagnetic properties and specific recognition toward fluoroquinolones. Combined with reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography, the prepared molecularly imprinted polymers were used for the selective enrichment and analysis of fluoroquinolones in human serum samples. The recoveries of four fluoroquinolones were 86.8–95.3% with relative standard deviations of 2.0–6.8% (n  = 3). Such magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers have great prospects in the separation and enrichment of trace analysts in complex biological samples.     

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Modified by Deep Eutectic Solvents and Ionic Liquids with Two Templates for the Simultaneous Solid-Phase Extraction of Fucoidan and Laminarin from Marine Kelp

Molecularly imprinted polymers modified by deep eutectic solvents and ionic liquids (ILs) were prepared as packing materials for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of fucoidan and laminarin. The prepared materials were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The polymers modified by the deep eutectic solvent prepared by choline chloride and urea had the best extraction efficiencies for fucoidan and laminarin (95.5% and 87.6%, respectively) from marine kelp. The relative standard deviations for intraday and interday determination were less than 4.23%. The molecularly imprinted polymers modified by deep eutectic solvents and ILs showed outstanding applications for SPE and may offer novel sample pretreatment for other analytes.     

Preparation of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for the rapid and selective separation and enrichment of perfluorooctane sulfonate

As a persistent organic pollutant, perfluorooctane sulfonate has drawn a great worldwide attention. In this contribution, a novel material of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers, based on perfluorooctane sulfonate, as a template, molecule was prepared. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The adsorption isotherm was measured, and adsorption kinetic tests were conducted. The adsorbents possess high recognition ability (2.460 mg/g) and short adsorption equilibration time (60 min). Besides, they show good specificity and good reusability with the adsorption capacities of adsorbent toward perfluorooctane sulfonate decreasing less than 3% after five adsorption–desorption cycles. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were used successfully in the separation and enrichment of perfluorooctane sulfonate in real water sample and exhibited good prospects in environmental treatment and monitoring.     

Magnetic chitosan functionalized with β‐cyclodextrin as ultrasound‐assisted extraction adsorbents for the removal of methyl orange in wastewater coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography

Three types of choline chloride based deep eutectic solvents were prepared and used to modify magnetic chitosan. The adsorption capacity of the three deep‐eutectic‐solvent‐modified magnetic chitosan/carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin for removing methyl orange from wastewater was examined. The different deep eutectic solvents were used to strengthen the adsorption capacity of magnetic chitosan. Deep‐eutectic‐solvent‐modified magnetic chitosan/carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurements. Among the three deep eutectic solvents, choline chloride/glycerol (1:2) modified magnetic chitosan/carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin showed the highest adsorption capacity to methyl orange. Therefore, choline chloride/glycerol (1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6) deep eutectic solvents were prepared for the assay, and choline chloride/glycerol‐modified magnetic chitosan/carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin prepared with choline chloride/glycerol (1:3) (volume: 40 μg, contact time: 30 min, and pH: 6) had the best adsorption capacity over the concentration range of 10–200 μg/mL.     

Facile and versatile strategy to prepare magnetic molecularly imprinted particles based on the coassembly of magnetic nanoparticles and amphiphilic random copolymers

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for bisphenol A were prepared by coassembling magnetic nanoparticles and amphiphilic random copolymers. Under optimized conditions, bisphenol A as template molecules, magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer particles with regular morphology, small size, good monodispersity, and high content of OA‐Fe₃O₄ were prepared by the coassembly method using P(MMA‐co‐MAA) with monomer ratio of 9:1. These magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer particles could be rapidly collected by an external magnet within 1 min. The saturated adsorption capacity of the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for bisphenol A was 201.5 mg/g, and the imprinting factor was 2.5. The separation factors for bisphenol A to β‐estradiol, estriol, and diethylstilbestrol was 3.1, 2.9, and 3.7, respectively. Unlike assembling amphiphilic copolymer in the selective solvent, the coassembly process was simple and rapid. Therefore, the present work provided a facile and versatile approach to construct magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles under mild conditions.     

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers based on silica modified by deep eutectic solvents for the rapid simultaneous magnetic‐based solid‐phase extraction of Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge,Glycine max (Linn.) Merr and green tea

Novel magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) with multiple‐template based on silica were modified by four types of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for the rapid simultaneous magnetic solid‐phase extraction (MSPE) of tanshinone Ⅰ, tanshinone ⅡA, and cryptotanshinone from Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge; glycitein, genistein, and daidzein from Glycine max (Linn.) Merr; and epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin gallate from green tea, respectively. The synthesized materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Single factor experiments were to explore the relationship between the extraction efficiency and four factors (the sample solution pH, amount of DESs for modification, amount of adsorbent, and extraction time). It was showed that the DES4‐MMIPs have better extraction ability than the MMIPs without DESs and the other three DESs‐modified MMIPs. The best extraction recoveries with DES4‐MMIP were tanshinone Ⅰ (85.57%), tanshinone ⅡA (80.58%), cryptotanshinone (92.12%), glycitein (81.65%), genistein (87.72%), daidzein (92.24%), epicatechin (86.43%), epigallocatechin gallate (80.92%), and epicatechin gallate (93.64%), respectively. The novel multiple‐template MMIPs materials modified by DES for the rapid simultaneous MSPE of active compounds were proved to reduce the experimental steps than single‐template technique, and increase the extraction efficiency.     

Comparison of three cross‐linking agents for imprinting diethylstilbestrol in solid‐phase extraction

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) has been heavily studied for years. However, most efforts focused on functional monomer and particular study of cross‐linking agents on imprinting effect and pore structure is rare. In this paper, diethylstilbestrol (DES) imprinted polymers cross‐linked by three types of agents and their imprinting effects in solid‐phase extraction (SPE) were discussed. Evolution of UV spectral and simulation of cross‐linking agents or monomer mixed with DES revealed that there was a particular interaction between divinylbenzene and DES. Clear imprinting effects towards DES showed for divinylbenzene made imprinted polymer (DM), with imprinting factors up to 16.02 (STD = 2.20), while the other two imprinted polymers showed limited effects with imprinting factors of 4.95 (STD = 0.45) and 1.63 (STD = 0.54). Specific surface areas, pore volumes, and pore size distributions of the particles also confirmed that DM showed distinguished structure, and the average pore size of it was just fit the size of DES and bisphenol A (BPA), while no pore was found in divinylbenzene made blank polymer. Other imprinted and non‐imprinted polymers showed no pore or big pores relatively. These results show that the cross‐linking monomer is not merely an inert component for the MIPs, it could play a positive role in promoting interactions with the template to afford molecular recognition in imprinting DES. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemoselective synthesis of xanthenes and tetraketones in a choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvent

A chemoselective synthesis of tetraketone and xanthene derivatives, by means of tandem Knoevenagel condensation and Michael addition in choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs), is presented. The reaction of readily available aldehydes and active methylene compounds in malonic acid- and ZnCl₂-based DES gives various xanthenes derivatives with good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. On the other hand, tetraketones were synthesized in almost quantitative yields by simple condensation of an aldehyde and active methylene compounds in milder deep eutectic solvents of urea and SnCl₂. In addition, the reaction of other types of choline chloride-based DES leads to a mixture of tetraketone and xanthene.     

Advances of responsive deep eutectic solvents and application in extraction and separation of bioactive compounds

In recent years, it has been found that changing ambient conditions (CO₂/N₂, temperature, pH) can trigger a switchable phase transition of deep eutectic solvents, and such solvents are known as responsive deep eutectic solvents. In this work, we present the development history, properties, and preparation of responsive deep eutectic solvents, followed by the application of responsive deep eutectic solvents in the extraction and separation of bioactive compounds are presented. Importantly, the mechanism of responsive deep eutectic solvents in the extraction of bioactive compounds is discussed. Finally, the challenges and prospects of responsive deep eutectic solvents in the extraction and separation of bioactive compounds are proposed. Responsive deep eutectic solvents are considered green and efficient solvents. Some methods for extraction and separation of bioactive compounds by responsive deep eutectic solvents can increase the possibility of recycling the deep eutectic solvents, and provide higher efficiency in the extraction and separation field. It is hoped that this will provide a reference for the green and sustainable extraction and separation of various bioactive compounds.     

Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymer adsorbents for solid‐phase extraction of strobilurin fungicides from agricultural products

Molecularly imprinted polymers for strobilurin fungicides were prepared by precipitation polymerization employing azoxystrobin as template molecular together with methacrylic acid monomer and trimethylolpropane triacrylate cross‐linker. Morphological characterization showed molecularly imprinted polymers were uniform spherical particles with about 0.2 μm in diameter, while the morphologies of nonimprinted polymers were irregular bulk. The equilibrium binding and selective experiments proved that molecularly imprinted polymers possessed a higher affinity toward four fungicides compared to nonimprinted polymers and heterogeneous binding sites were found in the molecularly imprinted polymers. Molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction conditions, including sample loading solvents, selective washing, and elution solvents, were carefully optimized. The developed method showed good recoveries (70.0–114.0%) with relative standard deviations in range of 1.0–9.8% (n  =  3) for samples (cucumber and peach) spiked at three different levels (10, 50, and 100 μg/ kg). The detection limit (signal/noise = 3) ranged from 0.01 to 0.08 μg/kg. The results demonstrated good potential use of this convenient and highly efficient method for determining trace strobilurin fungicides in agricultural products.     

Efficient synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers with bio‐recognition sites for the selective separation of bovine hemoglobin

We developed a facile approach to the construction of bio‐recognition sites in silica nanoparticles for efficient separation of bovine hemoglobin based on amino‐functionalized silica nanoparticles grafting by 3‐aminopropyltriethoxylsilane providing hydrogen bonds with bovine hemoglobin through surface molecularly imprinting technology. The resulting amino‐functionalized silica surface molecularly imprinted polymers were characterized using scanning electron microscope, transmission electronic microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Results showed that the as‐synthesized imprinted polymers exhibited spherical morphology and favorable thermal stability. The binding adsorption experiments showed that the imprinted polymers can reach equilibrium within 1 h. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model fitted the adsorption data well. Meanwhile, the imprinted polymers possessed a maximum binding capacity up to 90.3 mg/g and highly selectivity for the recognition of bovine hemoglobin. Moreover, such high binding capacity and selectivity retained after eight cycles, indicating the good stability and reusability of the imprinted polymers. Finally, successful application in the selective recognition of bovine hemoglobin from a real bovine blood sample indicated that the imprinted polymers displayed great potentials in efficient purification and separation of target proteins.     

A novel deep eutectic solvent-based ionic liquid used as electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells

We utilize a quaternary ammonium salt-derivative ionic liquid called G.CI which is a eutectic mixture of glycerol and choline iodide as electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells. Such eutectic compound belongs to a new series of ionic liquid called deep eutectic solvents (DES), which possess many outstanding features compared to the traditional imidazolium-based ionic liquids including cheap raw materials, simple preparation procedures and better biocompatibility. Current–voltage characteristics of the G.CI/PMII-based binary electrolytes stand at 0.533 V on V_oc, 12.0 mA cm^?2 on J_sc, 0.582 on fill factor, and 3.88% cell efficiency under AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm² illuminations. The comparable cell performance together with all the above advantages makes G.CI as a strong candidate for future electrolyte development for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).