The use of trichloroacetic acid imprinted polymer coated quartz crystal microbalance as a screening method for determination of haloacetic acids in drinking water

An alternative screening method for haloacetic acids (HAAs) disinfection by-products in drinking water is described. The method is based on the use of piezoelectric quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) transducing system, where the electrode is coated with a trichloacetic acid-molecularly imprinted polymer (TCAA-MIP). This MIP comprises a crosslinked poly(ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate-co-4-vinylpyridine). The coated QCM is able to specifically detect the analytes in water samples in terms of the mass change in relation to acid-base interactions of the analytes with the MIP. The TCAA-MIP coated QCM showed high specificity for the determination of TCAA in aqueous solutions containing inorganic anions, but its sensitivity reduced in water samples containing hydrochloric acid due to a mass loss at the sensor surface. Cross-reactivity studies with HAA analogs (dichloro-, monochloro-, tribromo-, dibromo-, and monobromo-acetic acids) and non-structurally related TCAA molecules (acetic acid and malonic acid) indicated that recognition of the structurally related TCAA compounds by the TCAA-MIP-based QCM is due to a carboxylic acid functional group, and probably involves a combination of both size and shape selectivity. The total response time of sensor is in the order of 10 min. The achieved limits of detection for HAAs (20-50 μg l⁻¹) are at present higher than the actual concentrations found in real-life samples, but below the guidelines for the maximum permissible levels (60 μg l⁻¹ for mixed HAAs). Recovery studies with drinking water samples spiked with TCAA or spiked with mixtures of HAAs revealed the reproducibility and precision of the method. The present work has demonstrated that the proposed assay can be a fast, reliable and inexpensive screening method for HAA contaminants in water samples, but further refinement is required to improve the limits of detection.     

Study of a molecular imprinting polymer coated BAW bio-mimic sensor and its application to the determination of caffeine in human serum and urine

A bio-mimic bulk acoustic wave (BAW) sensor was fabricated by coating the caffeine (CAF) template molecular imprinting polymer (MIP). This sensor exhibited high selectivity and a sensitive mass response to CAF. The response range of the sensor was between 5.0 x 10(-9) and 1.0 x 10(-4) M with a detection limit of 5.0 x 10(-9) M at pH 8.0. Recoveries were 96.1-105.6%. Influencing factors were investigated in detail and optimized. When employed to detect real samples, the proposed method proved to be a convenient method with the advantages of high sensitivity, good selectivity and ease of handling.     

胆酸印迹聚合物的制备及在含水介质中的结合性能

为了在含水介质中进行有效印迹,本研究中以双甲基丙烯酰-β-环糊精（BMA-β-CD）和2-(二乙基胺基)乙基甲基丙烯酸酯(DEAEM)为功能单体制备了胆酸印迹聚合物MIP1,并用平衡结合实验研究了MIP1在含水介质中对模板分子的识别能力。结果表明,MIP1比单独以BMA-β-CD或DEAEM为功能单体制备的印迹聚合物MIP2和MIP3,显示出对模板分子更好的选择性结合能力。MIP1的特异性吸附量ΔCP为38.81μmol/g,印迹因子IF为2.46。研究表明,在含水介质中,利用模板分子与功能单体之间的疏水作用和离子作用是提高印迹聚合物分子识别能力的关键。研究还表明,在识别过程中,疏水作用在驱动分子进入印迹孔穴时起重要作用。     

Study of the properties of molecularly imprinted polymers by computational and conformational analysis

In this paper, a simplified model was set up to give an insight into the properties of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) at molecular level using MMFF94 force field. Based on our model, the interaction energies (ΔEs) between monomers and template or its analogues were calculated, and the most possible conformations of template or its analogues interacting with monomers in the molar ratio 1/4 were found. The obtained results using the computational and conformational analysis showed that large ΔE meant more activity sites in the cavities in the resultant polymer giving high affinity and good selectivity, leading to a large imprinting factor and when the ΔE differences were small, the imprinting factors were mainly determined by the activity sites. These were well consistent with the experimental results, which confirmed the validity of the model and method proposed that were believed to benefit screening molecularly imprinted systems rapidly in an experiment-free way instead of trial-and-error approach. Considering the affinity and selectivity, 2,6-bisacrylamide pyridine was predicted to be the optimal monomer used to prepare paracetamol MIP for application in quantification of drugs from the ΔE and possible activity sites.     

基于抗原决定基的胰岛素分子印迹电化学传感器

采用抗原决定基法制备了胰岛素电化学分子印迹传感器.以胰岛素C端多肽作为模板分子,定向自组装在Au电极上,以邻苯二胺为功能单体,电化学聚合制备分子印迹聚合膜.以NaOH为洗脱液,洗脱模板分子,形成的与胰岛素C端多肽三维结构相匹配的分子印迹孔穴能特异性识别胰岛素.重吸附胰岛素分子后,以K3[Fe(CN)6]/K4[Fe(CN)6]为探针,通过测量探针在电极表面产生的电流大小实现胰岛素的间接测定.在1.0 × 10-14~5.0 × 10-13 mol/L浓度范围内,传感器的电流响应值与胰岛素浓度呈良好的线性关系,检出限为7.24 × 10-15 mol/L(3σ).此传感器具有较好的选择性和稳定性,并成功用于血清样品中胰岛素的测定.     

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer thin film as biosensor for uric acid

A novel amine-imide type conducting polymer, denoted as poly(PD-BCD), was molecularly imprinted on an indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass, with uric acid (UA) as the template and without any functional monomer. Intending to improve the imprinting efficiency, the polymer content was varied from 0.3 to 0.9 wt% during the preparation of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), thereby varying the thickness of the polymer film; the content of UA as the template was maintained to be the same for all the films. The sensitivities of the thus prepared MIP electrodes were calculated to be more than 3-fold, compared to those of the corresponding non-MIP (NMIP) electrodes, which were obtained through the same method, however, without adding UA during their preparation. A polymer content of 0.6 wt% rendered the best performing MIP electrode, as judged by the imprinting efficiency and sensitivity of the electrode for UA. A linear relationship between steady-state currents and UA concentrations from 0 to 1.125 mM was obtained for both types of the sensors. The sensitivities of the MIP and the NMIP electrodes made with 0.6 wt% of polymer were calculated to be 24.72 and 6.63 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) for this MIP was found to be 0.3 μM at a signal to noise ratio (S/N) of 3. This MIP electrode was used as a biosensor for the detection of UA in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) in a sample containing these species in the same concentrations as those in a human serum. The selectivity of MIP electrode is higher than that of NMIP electrode, and the values are 28.76 and 8.85, respectively. The results are substantiated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry, amperometry, and scanning electron microscopy.     

Picolinamide-Cu(Ac)2-imprinted polymer with high potential for recognition of picolinamide-copper acetate complex

In this report, with semi-empirical quantum method, we have studied the conformation and energy of supermolecule composed of picolinamide and its positional isomers with methacrylic acid. We tried to explore the reason why picolinamide was not likely to show imprinting effect when using methacrylic acid as functional monomer in our previous work. In order to produce imprinting effect, which was not achieved based on hydrogen bonding interaction, we have synthesized a molecular-imprinted polymer (MIP) based on copper ion coordination in prepolymerization. The complex in prepolymerization was composed of copper(II), acetate, picolinamide and 4-vinylpyridine (4-Vpy). Suprisingly, the MIP had high selectivity to picolinamide-copper acetate complex, and changes of either copper ion, picolinamide or acetate would result in decrease in the imprinting effect. This is also the first example where the high selective recognition of the MIP to its template was achieved mainly by inhibiting the binding of non-template rather than enhancing the binding of the template. And this report can be also looked upon as a first step towards the solution to the problem of imprinting of template that contains intramolecular hydrogen bond.     

橙皮苷印迹聚合物的识别性能及机理研究

为了制备对橙皮苷(HES)具有特定识别能力的吸附材料,以HES为模板分子,丙烯酰胺(AM)为功能单体,甲基丙烯酸乙二醇酯(EDMA)为交联剂,在甲醇中制备了HES印迹聚合物(MIP),采用平衡吸附实验方法研究了聚合物的吸附性能和选择性能,探讨了聚合物的印迹机理和识别机理.结果表明,MIP对HES具有较高的亲和性和选择性.当HES浓度为0.048 mmol/L时,MIP及相应NMIP对HES的分配系数KD分别为10.17 和2.973,印迹因子α达到3.421.MIP对结构相似物芦丁及柚皮苷的选择因子β分别为2.446和1.246.机理研究表明识别位点来自AM与HES苯甲酰系统的氢键作用,吸附溶液中水含量的增加对MIP的识别能力有较大的影响.最后,以高效液相色谱研究了MIP在样品中的分离富集能力,表明该印迹聚合物具有一定的应用潜能.     

Core-shell nanostructured molecular imprinting fluorescent chemosensor for selective detection of atrazine herbicide

To convert the binding events on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) into physically detectable signals and to extract the templates completely are the great challenges in developing MIP-based sensors. In this paper, a core-shell nanostructure was employed in constructing the MIP chemosensor for the improvements of template extraction efficiency and imprinted sites accessibility. Vinyl-substituted zinc(II) protoporphyrin (ZnPP) was used as both fluorescent reporter and functional monomer to synthesize atrazine-imprinted polymer shell at silica nanoparticle cores. The template atrazine coordinates with the Lewis acid binding site Zn of ZnPP to form a complex for the molecular imprinting polymerization. These imprinted sites are located in polymer matrix of the thin shells (~8 nm), possessing better accessibility and lower mass-transfer resistance for the target molecules. The fluorescence properties of ZnPP around the imprinted sites will vary upon rebinding of atrazine to these imprinted sites, realizing the conversion of rebinding events into detectable signals by monitoring fluorescence spectra. This MIP probe showed a limit of detection (LOD) of about 1.8 μM for atrazine detection. The core-shell nanostructured MIP method not only improves the sensitivity, but also shows high selectivity for atrazine detection when compared with the non-molecular imprinted counterparts.     

Recent advancement of carbon nanomaterials engrained molecular imprinted polymer for environmental matrix

Sample preparation techniques have always been considered as a complex issue in the analytical process. Most of the sample preparation techniques show a lack of selectivity. Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is a synthetic approach for sample preparation technique that has the ability of selective extractions. Generally, MIPs are selective sorbent, MIPs are capable of binding a molecule or its geometrical analogues. The imprinted polymers own particular voids exclusively framed for the aimed target analytes. These MIPs have been synthesized through a complex route of polymerization using a dedicated crosslinker, a template and function bound specific monomers (mainly interacting with the template). Despite having various pros like selectivity, morphological predictability, chemical & thermal stability, points alike binding site heterogeneity, partial template removal, and limited application pose a challenge. In this regard, a relatively newer carbon-based MIP method is explored as the molecular imprinting technique in various environmental samples. This paper describes the current scenario in the field of molecular-based imprinting technology using different carbon engrained materials and highlights the latest applications in this field and suggest proposals for the prospect in the area of the MIP.     

A connection between the binding properties of imprinted and nonimprinted polymers: a change of perspective in molecular imprinting

In the current paradigm for molecular imprinting, the imprinted binding sites exist as a consequence of the polymerization process around templates, and the properties of nonimprinted polymers (NIPs) have largely been overlooked. Thus, nothing can be affirmed a priori concerning the binding properties of NIPs. We propose an alternative view where the imprinting effect is due to the presence of a template molecule that enhances the pre-existing binding properties of a polymer. If a NIP shows no binding properties toward a target molecule, the corresponding imprinted polymer (MIP) will show a weak imprinting effect. On the other hand, if a NIP shows binding properties toward a target molecule, the corresponding MIP will show a significant imprinting effect. To verify this hypothesis, we prepared a 96-member combinatorial polymeric library in the absence of any template molecule. This library was screened for several potential ligands, and with no exceptions, the composition of the best-binding NIP produced a MIP with excellent binding properties, whereas a low-binding NIP formulation produced a MIP with comparable low binding. To validate these results, the binding properties toward naproxen and ibuprofen were measured for two combinatorial libraries of polymers prepared in the presence (MIP library) and the absence (NIP library) of the template molecule. The experiment's results showed a correlation between the apparent affinity constants measured for the NIP and MIP libraries, confirming the proposed hypothesis. Moreover, for closely related molecules, it was shown that binding selectivity is an emergent property derived from the imprinting process and not a property of NIPs.     

利多卡因分子印迹聚合物的制备及其在固相萃取中的应用

以利多卡因(LD)分子印迹聚合物为研究体系,利用分子模拟计算功能单体与模板分子之间的相互作用能,并通过作用实验加以验证,确定衣康酸为最佳单体。以乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,N,N-二甲基甲酰胺(DMF)为溶剂,采用本体聚合法合成分子印迹聚合物(MIP);采用高效液相色谱检测。实验发现,聚合物具有较高的印迹指数和选择性;在乙腈加载、5%甲醇-乙腈淋洗、5%HCl-甲醇洗脱条件下,聚合物具有最佳印迹效果。通过渗漏实验考察聚合物键合容量。实验发现,在乙腈溶液中每100mg MIP与空白聚合物(NIP)可分别键合1.62和0.92mg LD分子;采用光度法测定牛血清中利多卡因的含量,其平均回收率达到84.6%。     

尼卡地平分子聚合物的制备及识别性能研究

采用分子印迹技术合成了以尼卡地平为模板分子,甲基丙烯酸为功能单体的分子印迹聚合物(MIP).运用平衡结合实验研究了聚合物的吸附特性和选择识别能力.通过Scatchard方程分析,结合位点的离解常数Kd=1.03 mmol·L-1,最大表观结合常数Qmax=18.76 μmol·g-1.结果表明,分子印迹聚合物对尼卡地平呈现出较高的吸附性和选择识别性,对尼卡地平药物的分离富集和检测具有实际临床意义.     

腈菌唑分子印迹聚合物的制备及识别性能研究

以腈菌唑为模板分子，采用原位分子印迹技术，制备具有特定识别性能的连续棒状分子印迹聚合物。考察了流动相中酸量对分离的影响，研究了几种结构类似物在所得分子印迹柱上的保留特性。结果表明，这种棒状分子印迹聚合物比相应的空白聚合物有高的识别性能和选择性。     

杯芳烃衍生物和丙烯酰胺作为复合功能单体的分子印迹聚合物对海因类化合物的选择性识别研究

以杯[4]芳烃衍生物+丙烯酰胺作为复合功能单体,将其运用到分子印迹技术中,对海因类化合物R-苄基海因进行选择性识别.研究结果表明,由单一的杯[4]芳烃衍生物或丙烯酰胺作为功能单体的分子印迹聚合物对R-苄基海因的选择性均不高,而由杯[4]芳烃衍生物+丙烯酰胺作为复合功能单体的分子印迹聚合物对模板分子具有较高的特异选择性.     

Enantioselective sensor based on microgravimetric quartz crystal microbalance with molecularly imprinted polymer film

We report a novel quartz crystal microbalance sensor that provides enantioselectivity to dansylphenylalanine enantiomers by using a molecularly imprinted polymer film as a recognition element. The polymeric recognition thin film, imprinted with chiral dansyl-L-phenylalanine, was immobilised on a gold electrode modified with a photoactive precursor monolayer via a self-assembly process using photopolymerization. The fabricated sensor was able to discriminate between L- and D-dansylphenylalanine enantiomers in solution owing to the enantioselectivity of the imprinted sites. The enantiomeric composition of L- and D-enantiomeric mixtures could be quantitatively determined by the fabricated sensor. The detection limit is 5 micrograms mL-1 with a response range of 5-500 micrograms mL-1 at pH 10.0. The influence of the template concentration on the sensitivity and selectivity of the synthesised polymer membranes was investigated and optimised. The surface characteristics of the polymer coating were studied by varying the pH value of the buffer solution, and a convenient regeneration process was proposed to increase the reproducibility and reusability of the sensor by flushing with pH 2.0 buffer. The selectivity and recognition mechanism of the imprinted polymer film were studied with compounds that are structurally related to the template. The method presented in this work provides a novel means of preparing highly selective and sensitive chemical sensors via self-assembly and molecularly imprinting techniques.     

Determination of methotrexate in human serum by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with pseudo template molecularly imprinted polymer

A pseudo template molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared for methotrexate (MTX) and a RP-HPLC method combined with the MIP was developed for the determination of MTX in human serum. Because of the poor solubility of MTX in common MIP preparation solvents, trimethoprim (TMP), a molecule having the similar imprinting sites as MTX, is selected as the pseudo template. The MIP was prepared using methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. ¹H NMR study showed highly strong interaction between TMP and MAA with hydrogen bonds. Chromatographic behaviors indicated that the TMP-MIP possessed excellent affinity and selectivity for MTX. And the imprinting factor for MTX was high up to 9.5 when 7:3 of acetonitrile:methanol (v/v) was used as mobile phase. Moreover, TMP-MIP was used as the solid-phase extraction (SPE) material to enrich the target compound MTX in human serum samples for HPLC analysis. The SPE process was carefully optimized and good recoveries of MTX were obtained as 81.6–86.2% with RSD of 0.22–1.84% when the spiked concentration of MTX was 2.0–10.0 μg mL⁻¹ in human serum samples. The results indicated that the pseudo template MIP can be applied to preconcentration, purification and analysis of MTX in clinic samples.     

Novel Potentiometric Sensors of Molecular Imprinted Polymers for Specific Binding of Chlormequat

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) were used as potentiometric sensors for the selective recognition and determination of chlormequat (CMQ). They were produced after radical polymerization of 4‐vinyl pyridine (4‐VP) or methacrylic acid (MAA) monomers in the presence of a cross‐linker. CMQ was used as template. Similar non‐imprinted (NI) polymers (NIP) were produced by removing the template from reaction media. The effect of kind and amount of MIP or NIP sensors on the potentiometric behavior was investigated. Main analytical features were evaluated in steady and flow modes of operation. The sensor MIP/4‐VP exhibited the best performance, presenting fast near‐Nernstian response for CMQ over the concentration range 6.2×10⁻⁶–1.0×10⁻² mol L⁻¹ with detection limits of 4.1×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The sensor was independent from the pH of test solutions in the range 5–10. Potentiometric selectivity coefficients of the proposed sensors were evaluated over several inorganic and organic cations. Results pointed out a good selectivity to CMQ. The sensor was applied to the potentiometric determination of CMQ in commercial phytopharmaceuticals and spiked water samples. Recoveries ranged 96 to 108.5%.     

One‐pot synthesis of surface‐functionalized molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres by iniferter‐induced “living” radical precipitation polymerization

This article describes for the first time the development of a new polymerization technique by introducing iniferter‐induced “living” radical polymerization mechanism into precipitation polymerization and its application in the molecular imprinting field. The resulting iniferter‐induced “living” radical precipitation polymerization (ILRPP) has proven to be an effective approach for generating not only narrow disperse poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) microspheres but also molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres with obvious molecular imprinting effects towards the template (a herbicide 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D)), rather fast template rebinding kinetics, and appreciable selectivity over structurally related compounds. The binding association constant K_a and apparent maximum number N_max for the high‐affinity sites of the 2,4‐D imprinted polymer were determined by Scatchard analysis and found to be 1.18 × 10⁴ M^?1 and 4.37 μmol/g, respectively. In addition, the general applicability of ILRPP in molecular imprinting was also confirmed by the successful preparation of MIP microspheres with another template (2‐chloromandelic acid). In particular, the living nature of ILRPP makes it highly useful for the facile one‐pot synthesis of functional polymer/MIP microspheres with surface‐bound iniferter groups, which allows their direct controlled surface modification via surface‐initiated iniferter polymerization and is thus of great potential in preparing advanced polymer/MIP materials. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3217–3228, 2010     

环丙沙星分子印迹聚合物的合成及识别性能研究

采用分子印迹技术合成了以环丙沙星为印迹分子,以甲基丙烯酸和4-乙烯基吡啶同时为功能单体的分子印迹聚合物。运用平衡结合实验研究了印迹聚合物的吸附特性和选择识别能力。Scatchard分析表明,在所研究的浓度范围内,分子印迹聚合物中形成了两类不同的结合位点。底物选择实验表明,这种聚合物对环丙沙星呈现高的选择结合能力。