A Novel Electrochemical Sensor for β2‐Agonists with High Sensitivity and Selectivity Based on Surface Molecularly Imprinted Sol‐gel Doped with Antimony‐Doped Tin Oxide

A novel strategy to improve the sensitivity of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensors was proposed for the determination of β₂‐agonists. The imprinted sol‐gel film was prepared by mixing silica sol with a functional monomer of antimony‐doped tin oxide (ATO) and a template of β₂‐agonists. ATO, which was embedded in the surface of the molecularly imprinted sol‐gel film, not only provides the excellent conductivity for biosensor but also increases the stability and the surface area of the MIP film. The imprinted sensor was characterised by field emission scanning electron microscope, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the peak current was linear with the logarithm of the concentration of clenbuterol (CLB) in the range of 5.5 nM–6.3 µM, and a detection limit of 1.7 nM was obtained. Meanwhile, the electrochemical sensor showed excellent specific recognition of the template molecule among structurally similar coexisting substances. Furthermore, the proposed sensor was satisfactorily applied to determine β₂‐agonists in human serum samples. The good results indicated that highly effective molecularly imprinted sol‐gel films doped with ATO can be employed for other analytes.     

Rapid analysis of three β‐agonist residues in food of animal origin by automated on‐line solid‐phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

An automated online solid‐phase extraction with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the detection of clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine in food of animal origin. The samples from the food matrix were pretreated with an online solid‐phase extraction cartridge by Oasis MCX for <5 min after acid hydrolysis for 30 min. The peak focusing mode was used to elute the target compounds directly onto a C₁₈ column. Chromatographic separation was achieved under gradient conditions using a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid in aqueous solution. Each analyte was detected in two multiple reaction monitoring transitions via an electrospray ionization source in a positive mode. The relative standard deviations ranged from 2.6 to 10.5%, and recovery was between 76.7 and 107.2% at all quality control levels. The limits of quantification of three β‐agonists were in the range of 0.024–0.29 μg/kg in pork, sausage, and milk powder, respectively. This newly developed method offers high sensitivity and minimum sample pretreatment for the high‐throughput analysis of β‐agonist residues.     

Recent advances and applications of molecularly imprinted polymers in solid‐phase extraction for real sample analysis

Sample pretreatment is essential for the analysis of complicated real samples due to their complex matrices and low analyte concentrations. Among all sample pretreatment methods, solid‐phase extraction is arguably the most frequently used one. However, the majority of available solid‐phase extraction adsorbents suffer from limited selectivity. Molecularly imprinted polymers are a type of tailor‐made artificial antibodies and receptors with specific recognition sites for target molecules. Using molecularly imprinted polymers instead of conventional adsorbents can greatly improve the selectivity of solid‐phase extraction, and therefore molecularly imprinted polymer‐based solid‐phase extraction has been widely applied to separation, clean up and/or preconcentration of target analytes in various kinds of real samples. In this article, after a brief introduction, the recent developments and applications of molecularly imprinted polymer‐based solid‐phase extraction for determination of different analytes in complicated real samples during the 2015‐2020 are reviewed systematically, including the solid‐phase extraction modes, molecularly imprinted adsorbent types and their preparations, and the practical applications of solid‐phase extraction to various real samples (environmental, food, biological, and pharmaceutical samples). Finally, the challenges and opportunities of using molecularly imprinted polymer‐based solid‐phase extraction for real sample analysis are discussed.     

Magnetic molecularly imprinted composite for the selective solid‐phase extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

A new method for the selective extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid from aqueous and urine samples has been developed using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles before determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were first prepared through the chemical coprecipitation of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ and then coated with a vinyl shell. Subsequently, a layer of molecularly imprinted polymers was grafted onto the vinyl‐modified magnetic nanoparticles by precipitation polymerization. FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and thermogravimetric analysis were applied to characterize the sorbent properties. Moreover, the predominant parameters affecting the magnetic solid phase extraction such as sample pH, sorption and elution times, the amount of sorbent, and composition and volume of eluent were investigated thoroughly. The maximum sorption capacity of the imprinted polymer toward p‐aminosalicylic acid was 70.9 mg/g, which is 4.5 times higher than that of the magnetic nonimprinted polymer. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were applied for the selective extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid from aqueous and urine samples and satisfactory results were achieved. The results illustrate that magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles have a great potential in the extraction of p‐aminosalicylic acid from environmental and biological matrices.     

Preparation of l‐phenylalanine‐imprinted solid‐phase extraction sorbent by Pickering emulsion polymerization and the selective enrichment of l‐phenylalanine from human urine

A novel l‐ phenylalanine molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction sorbent was synthesized by the combination of Pickering emulsion polymerization and ion‐pair dummy template imprinting. Compared to other polymerization methods, the molecularly imprinted polymers thus prepared exhibit a high specific surface, large pore diameter, and appropriate particle size. The key parameters for solid‐phase extraction were optimized, and the result indicated that the molecularly imprinted polymer thus prepared exhibits a good recovery of 98.9% for l‐ phenylalanine. Under the optimized conditions of the procedure, an analytical method for l‐ phenylalanine was well established. By comparing the performance of the molecularly imprinted polymer and a commercial reverse‐phase silica gel, the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer as an solid‐phase extraction sorbent is more suitable, exhibiting high precision (relative standard deviation 3.2%, n = 4) and a low limit of detection (60.0 ± 1.9 nmol·L^?1) for the isolation of l‐ phenylalanine. Based on these results, the combination of the Pickering emulsion polymerization and ion‐pair dummy template imprinting is effective for preparing selective solid‐phase extraction sorbents for the separation of amino acids and organic acids from complex biological samples.     

Investigation of ractopamine‐imprinted polymer for dispersive solid‐phase extraction of trace β‐agonists in pig tissues

Ractopamine, as an alternative β‐agonist to clenbuterol, is more and more used as leanness‐enhancing agent in the swine industry. This work presents a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) using ractopamine as template for dispersive solid‐phase extraction of trace ractopamine and the structural related β‐agonists in animal tissues. The binding properties and selectivity of MIP were investigated. High selectivity in polar environment was found, since the extraction capacity of ractopamine with the MIP was 4.5‐fold as much as that with the non‐imprinted polymer in acetonitrile. Cross‐selectivity investigation indicates that the MIP preferentially binds the template and then the structural analogues according to their molecular similarity. Thermodynamic and kinetic investigation was performed to interpret the specific adsorption and molecular recognition of the MIP for ractopamine. Standard free energy, standard enthalpy, and standard entropy were determined. Related information suggested that adsorption of ractopamine onto MIP was an exothermic, spontaneous process. The MIP can be applied as dispersive solid‐phase extraction material for enrichment of ractopamine, isoxsuprine, fenoterol and clenbuterol in complex samples before HPLC analysis. The method revealed detection limits of 0.20–0.90 μg/L, recoveries of 83.8–115.2 and 85.2–110.2% for the spiked pig muscle and pig liver, respectively, with the RSD from 2.5 to 8.8%.     

Preparation of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for dispersive solid‐phase extraction of valsartan and its determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography: Box‐Behnken design

In this work, core/shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were synthesized for extraction and pre‐concentration of valsartan from different samples and then it was measured with high‐performance liquid chromatography. For preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with tetraethyl orthosilicate and then functionalized with 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate. In the next step, molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were synthesized under reflux and distillation conditions via polymerization of methacrylic acid, valsartan (as a template), azobisisobutyronitrile and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross linking. The properties of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticle were investigated by FTIR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Box‐Behnken design with the aid of desirability function was used for optimizing the effect of variables such as the amounts of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles, time of sonication, pH, and volume of methanol on the extraction percentage of valsartan. According to the obtained results, the affecting variables extraction condition were set as 10 mg of adsorbent, 16 min for sonication, pH = 5.5 and 0.6 mL methanol. The obtained linear response (r² > 0.995) was in the range of 0.005–10 µg/mL with detection limit 0.0012 µg/mLand extraction recovery was in the range of 92–95% with standard deviation less than 6% (n = 3).     

Thermosensitive molecularly imprinted poly(1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone/methyl methacrylate/N‐vinylcaprolactam) for selective extraction of imatinib mesylate in human biological fluid

The efficiency of a molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective packing material for the solid‐phase extraction of imatinib mesylate sorption was investigated. The molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared using N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide as a cross‐linker agent, N‐vinylcaprolactam as a thermo‐sensitive monomer, 1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone and methyl methacrylate as functional monomers, azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator and imatinib mesylate as a template. The drug‐imprinted polymer was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that this polymer can be used for determination of trace levels of imatinib mesylate with a recovery percentage that could reach over 90%. Furthermore, the synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer indicated higher selectivity towards imatinib mesylate than other compounds. From isotherm study, the equilibrium adsorption data of imatinib mesylate by imprinted polymer were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models. The developed method was used for determination of imatinib mesylate in human fluid samples by high performance liquid chromatography with excellent results.     

A (−)‐norephedrine‐based molecularly imprinted polymer for the solid‐phase extraction of psychoactive phenylpropylamino alkaloids from Khat (Catha edulis Vahl. Endl.) chewing leaves

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared using (?)‐norephedrine as the template, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross‐linker and chloroform as the porogen. The MIP was used as a selective sorbent in the molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction (MIP‐SPE) of the psychoactive phenylpropylamino alkaloids, norephedrine and its analogs, cathinone and cathine, from Khat (Catha edulis Vahl. Endl.) leaf extracts prior to HPLC‐DAD analysis. The MIP was able to selectively extract the alkaloids from the aqueous extracts of Khat. Loading, washing and elution of the alkaloids bound to the MIP were evaluated under different conditions. The clean baseline of the Khat extract obtained after MIP‐SPE confirmed that a selective and efficient sample clean‐up was achieved. Good recoveries (90.0–107%) and precision (RSDs 2.3–3.2%) were obtained in the validation of the MIP‐SPE‐HPLC procedure. The content of the three alkaloids in Khat samples determined after treatment with MIP‐SPE and a commercial Isolute C₁₈ (EC) SPE cartridge were in good agreement. These findings indicate that MIP‐SPE is a reliable method that can be used for sample pre‐treatment for the determination of Khat alkaloids in plant extracts or similar matrices and could be applicable in pharmaceutical, forensic and biomedical laboratories. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel adsorptive materials by adenosine 5ʹ‐triphosphate imprinted‐polymer over the surface of polystyrene nanospheres for selective separation of adenosine 5ʹ‐triphosphate biomarker from urine

In this study, we have developed a method to assess adenosine 5?‐triphosphate by adsorptive extraction using surface adenosine 5′‐triphosphate‐imprinted polymer over polystyrene nanoparticles (412 ± 16 nm) for selective recognition/separation from urine. Molecularly imprinted polymer was synthesized by emulsion copolymerization reaction using adenosine 5′‐triphosphate as a template, functional monomers (methacrylic acid, N‐isopropyl acrylamide, and dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate) and a crosslinker, methylenebisacrylamide. The binding capacities of imprinted and non‐imprinted polymers were measured using high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection with a detection limit of 1.6 ± 0.02 µM of adenosine 5′‐triphosphate in the urine. High binding affinity (Q_MIP, 42.65 µmol/g), and high selectivity and specificity to adenosine 5′‐triphosphate compared to other competitive nucleotides including adenosine 5?‐diphosphate, adenosine 5?‐monophosphate, and analogs such as adenosine, adenine, uridine, uric acid, and creatinine were observed. The imprinting efficiency of imprinted polymer is 2.11 for urine (Q_MIP, 100.3 µmol/g) and 2.51 for synthetic urine (Q_MIP, 48.5 µmol/g). The extraction protocol was successfully applied to the direct extraction of adenosine 5′‐triphosphate from spiked human urine indicating that this synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer allowed adenosine 5′‐triphosphate to be preconcentrated while simultaneously interfering compounds were removed from the matrix. These submicron imprinted polymers over nano polystyrene spheres have a potential in the pharmaceutical industries and clinical analysis applications.     

A new ionic liquid surface‐imprinted polymer for selective solid‐phase‐extraction and determination of sulfonamides in environmental samples

Toward improving the selective adsorption performance of molecularly imprinted polymers in strong polar solvents, in this work, a new ionic liquid functional monomer, 1‐butyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium bromide, was used to synthesize sulfamethoxazole imprinted polymer in methanol. The resulting molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy, and the rebinding mechanism of the molecularly imprinted polymer for sulfonamides was studied. A static equilibrium experiment revealed that the as‐obtained molecularly imprinted polymer had higher molecular recognition for sulfonamides (e.g., sulfamethoxazole, sulfamonomethoxine, and sulfadiazine) in methanol; however, its adsorption of interferent (e.g., diphenylamine, metronidazole, 2,4‐dichlorophenol, and m‐dihydroxybenzene) was quite low. ¹H NMR spectroscopy indicated that the excellent recognition performance of the imprinted polymer was based primarily on hydrogen bond, electrostatic and π‐π interactions. Furthermore, the molecularly imprinted polymer can be employed as a solid phase extraction sorbent to effectively extract sulfamethoxazole from a mixed solution. Combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis, a valid molecularly imprinted polymer‐solid phase extraction protocol was established for extraction and detection of trace sulfamethoxazole in spiked soil and sediment samples, and with a recovery that ranged from 93–107%, and a relative standard deviation of lower than 9.7%.     

Preparation and selective recognition of a novel solid‐phase microextraction fiber combined with molecularly imprinted polymers for the extraction of parabens in soy sample

A prepared molecularly imprinted polymer with ethyl p‐hydroxybenzoate as template molecule was applied for the first time to a homemade solid‐phase microextraction fiber. The molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Various parameters were investigated, including extraction temperature, extraction time, and desorption time. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber exhibited higher selectivity with greater extraction capacity toward parabens compared with the nonimprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber and commercial fibers. The molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction fiber was tested using gas chromatography to determine parabens, including methyl p‐hydroxybenzoate, ethyl p‐hydroxybenzoate, and propyl p‐hydroxybenzoate. The linear ranges were 0.01–10 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient above 0.9943. The detection limits (under signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3) were below 0.30 μg/L. The fiber was successfully applied to the simultaneous analysis of three parabens in spiked soy samples with satisfactory recoveries of 95.48, 97.86, and 92.17%, respectively. The relative standard deviations (n=6) were within 2.83–3.91%. The proposed molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated solid‐phase microextraction method is suitable for selective extraction and determination of trace parabens in food samples.     

Selective solid‐phase extraction using a molecularly imprinted polymer for the analysis of patulin in apple‐based foods

The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the clean‐up and pre‐concentration of patulin from apple‐based food products. Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet absorbance detection was used for the analysis of patulin. The molecularly imprinted polymer was applied, for the first time, to the determination of patulin in apple juice, puree and jam samples spiked within the maximum levels specified by the European Commission No. 1881/2006. High recoveries (>77%) were obtained. The method was validated and found to be linear in the range 2–100 μg/kg with correlation coefficients greater than 0.965 and repeatability relative standard deviation below 11% in all cases. Compared with dispersive solid‐phase extraction (QuEChERS method) and octadecyl sorbent, the molecularly imprinted polymer showed higher recoveries and selectivity for patulin. The application of Affinisep molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective sorbent material for detection of patulin fulfilled the method performance criteria required by the Commission Regulation No. 401/2006, demonstrating the suitability of the technique for the control of patulin at low ppb levels in different apple‐based foods such as juice, puree and jam samples.     

Molecularly imprinted polymer on a SiO2‐coated graphene oxide surface for the fast and selective dispersive solid‐phase extraction of Carbamazepine from biological samples

A surface carbamazepine‐imprinted polymer was grafted and synthesized on the SiO₂/graphene oxide surface. Firstly SiO₂ was coated on synthesized graphene oxide sheet using the sol–gel technique. Prior to polymerization, the vinyl group was incorporated on to the surface of SiO₂/graphene oxide to direct selective polymerization on the surface. Methacrylic acid, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and ethanol were used as monomer, cross‐linker and porogen, respectively. Nonimprinted polymer was also prepared for comparison. The properties of the molecularly imprinted polymer were characterized using field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. The surface molecularly imprinted polymer was utilized as an adsorbent of dispersive solid‐phase extraction for separation and preconcentration of carbamazepine. The effects of the different parameters influencing the extraction efficiency, such as sample pH were investigated and optimized. The specificity of the molecular imprinted polymer over the nonimprinted polymer was examined in absence and presence of competitive drugs. The carbamazepine calibration curve showed linearity in the ranges 0.5–500 μg/L. The limits of detection and quantification under the optimized conditions were 0.1 and 0.3 μg/L, respectively. The within‐day and between‐day relative standard deviations (n = 3) were 3.6 and 4.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the relative recoveries for spiked biological samples were above 85%.     

Simultaneous determination of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in human urine by ionic‐liquid‐based,dual‐template molecularly imprinted coated graphene oxide monolithic solid‐phase extraction

A novel method was developed to simultaneously determine the ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin levels in human urine using an ionic‐liquid‐based, dual‐molecularly imprinted polymer‐coated graphene oxide solid‐phase extraction monolithic column coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography. The molecularly imprinted monolithic column was prepared using ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin as templates, 1‐vinyl‐3‐ethylimidazolium bromide as the functional monomer, and graphene oxide as the core material. The resulting imprinted monoliths were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy. The efficiency and capacity of the ionic‐liquid‐based imprinted monolithic column were investigated by varying the synthesis conditions (ciprofloxacin/levofloxacin ratio and template/functional monomer/cross‐linker ratio). The solid‐phase extraction process was optimized by changing the washing and eluting conditions. The results suggested that the proposed ionic‐liquid‐based molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction monolithic‐high‐performance liquid chromatography method could separate ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin efficiently and simultaneously from human urine. The mean recoveries of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin ranged from 89.2 to 93.8 and 86.7 to 94.6%, respectively. The intra‐ and interday relative standard deviation ranged from 0.9 to 3.2 and 0.8 to 2.9%, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were more than 93.8%.     

Selective Solid‐phase Extraction of Bisphenol A Using a Novel Stir Bar Based on Molecularly Imprinted Monolithic Material

In this paper, a novel monolithic stir bar based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was firstly developed by filling modified neodymium magnet (Nd₂Fe₁₄B) powders into a glass tube (60 × 4 mm), followed by the imprinted grafting with bisphenol A (BPA) as the template molecule by thermal polymerization. It has been successfully used for the stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and its extraction performance illustrated that the MIP‐encapsulated stir bar had stronger affinity to the template molecule, compared with the stir bar based on the non‐imprinted molecularly polymer (NIP). Under the optimal extraction conditions, a simple method based on the coupling of MIP‐SBSE with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the selective determination of the model mixtures of BPA, 4‐phenylphenol (PP) and phenol (P) in bottled water. The recoveries of BPA, PP and P were in the range of 88.5‐96.1%, 78.2‐89.7%, 81.3‐89.5% at three spiked levels, respectively, demonstrating that higher extraction and the specific absorption occurred between the template molecule and the prepared MIP stir bar.     

Preconcentration of indapamide from human urine using molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction

A simple, sensitive, and selective molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction and spectrophotometric method has been developed for the clean‐up and preconcentration of indapamide from human urine. Molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared by a non‐covalent imprinting approach using indapamide as a template molecule, 2‐(trifluoromethyl) acrylic acid as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinker, N,N‐azobisisobutyronitrile as a thermal initiator and acetonitrile as a porogenic solvent. A non‐imprinted polymer was also prepared in the same way, but in the absence of template. Molecularly imprinted polymer and non‐imprinted polymer sorbents were dry‐packed into solid‐phase extraction cartridges. Eluates from cartridges were analyzed using a spectrophotometer for the determination of indapamide by referring to the calibration curve in the range 0.14–1.50 μg/mL. Preconcentration factor, limit of detection, and limit of quantification were 16.30, 0.025 μg/mL, and 0.075 μg/mL, respectively. A relatively high imprinting factor (9.3) was also achieved and recovery values for the indapamide spiked into human urine were in the range of 80.1–81.2%. In addition, relatively low within‐day (0.17–0.42%) and between‐day (1.1–1.4%) precision values were obtained as well. The proposed molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction and spectrophotometric method was successfully applied to selective extraction, preconcentration, and determination of indapamide from human urine samples.     

Determination of sulfadiazine in eggs using molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography

The development of a simple and effective method for the isolation and purification of sulfadiazine residues in food of animal origin is of great significance since it is a great danger to human health. An off‐line molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography method was proposed for the selective pretreatment and determination of sulfadiazine in eggs, rapidly and effectively. The molecularly imprinted polymer was proved to have a homogeneous spherical structure and porous surface morphology with excellent adsorption capacity of 5258 μg/g for sulfadiazine. The newly established method showed a good linearity in the range of 0–200 μg/L, low limits of detection (0.06 μg/L), acceptable reproducibility (RSD, 2.60–5.03%, n = 3), and satisfactory relative recoveries (78.22–86.10%). It was demonstrated that the proposed molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography method could be applied to determine sulfadiazine in eggs, which simplified the pretreatment procedure and improved the accuracy of the analysis process by reducing the loss of sulfadiazine in the fat‐removing procedure compared with traditional methods. Molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction with excellent selectivity and adsorption capacity is a simple, rapid, selective, and effective pretreatment method for the determination of sulfadiazine in egg samples.     

Preparation and application of a coated‐fiber needle extraction device

In this study, a needle‐trap device with fibers coated with a molecularly imprinted polymer was developed for separation. A number of heat‐resistant Zylon filaments were longitudinally packed into a glass capillary, followed by coating with a molecularly imprinted polymer. Then, the molecularly imprinted polymer coating was copolymerized and anchored onto the surface of the fibers. The bundle of synthetic fibers coated with the molecularly imprinted polymer was packed into a 21G stainless‐steel needle and served as an extraction medium. The coated‐fiber needle extraction device was used to extract volatile organic compounds from paints and gasoline effectively. Subsequently, the extracted volatile organic compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography. Calibration curves of gaseous benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o‐xylene in the concentration range of 1–250 μg/L were obtained to evaluate the method, acceptable linearity was attended with correlation coefficients above 0.998. The limit of detection of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o‐xylene was 11–20 ng/L using the coated‐fiber needle‐trap device. The relative standard deviation of needle‐to‐needle repeatability was less than 8% with an extraction time of 20 min. The loss rates after storage for 3 and 7 days at room temperature were less than 30%.     

Synthesis and characterization of photo‐responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted microspheres for the detection of sulfonamides in aqueous solution

A dual responsive molecularly imprinted polymer sensitive to both photonic and magnetic stimuli was successfully prepared for the detection of four sulfonamides in aqueous media. The photoresponsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared by surface imprinting polymerization using superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles functionalized with a silica layer as a support, water‐soluble 4‐[(4‐methacryloyloxy)phenylazo]benzenesulfonic acid as the functional monomer, and sulfadiazine as the template. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers showed specific affinity to sulfadiazine and its structural analogs in aqueous media. Upon alternate irradiation at 365 and 440 nm, the quantitative bind and release of the four sulfonamides by magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers occurred. Furthermore, the prepared magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were used as solid‐phase extraction material selectively extracted the four sulfonamides from water samples with good recoveries. Thus, a simple, convenient, and reliable detection method for sulfonamides in the environment based on responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers was successfully established.