Synthesis of core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres by precipitation polymerization for the inline molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction of thiabendazole from citrus fruits and orange juice samples

In this work, the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres with narrow particle size distributions and core-shell morphology by a two-step precipitation polymerization procedure is described. Polydivinylbenzene (poly DVB-80) core particles were used as seed particles in the production of molecularly imprinted polymer shells by copolymerization of divinylbenzene-80 with methacrylic acid in the presence of thiabendazole (TBZ) and an appropriate porogen. Thereafter, polymer particles were packed into refillable stainless steel HPLC columns used in the development of an inline molecularly imprinted SPE method for the determination of TBZ in citrus fruits and orange juice samples. Under optimized chromatographic conditions, recoveries of TBZ within the range 81.1-106.4%, depending upon the sample, were obtained, with RSDs lower than 10%. This novel method permits the unequivocal determination of TBZ in the samples under study, according to the maximum residue levels allowed within Europe, in less than 20 min and without any need for a clean-up step in the analytical protocol.     

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     

Molecularly imprinted polymers: An analytical tool for the determination of benzimidazole compounds in water samples

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for benzimidazole compounds have been synthesized by precipitation polymerization using thiabendazole (TBZ) as template, methacrylic acid as functional monomer, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) as cross-linkers and a mixture of acetonitrile and toluene as porogen. The experiments carried out by molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) in cartridges demonstrated the imprint effect in both imprinted polymers. MIP–DVB enabled a much higher breakthrough volume than MIP–EDMA, and thus was selected for further experiments. The ability of this MIP for the selective recognition of other benzimidazole compounds (albendazole, benomyl, carbendazim, fenbendazole, flubendazole and fuberidazole) was evaluated. The obtained results revealed the high selectivity of the imprinted polymer towards all the selected benzimidazole compounds.An off-line analytical methodology based on a MISPE procedure has been developed for the determination of benzimidazole compounds in tap, river and well water samples at concentration levels below the legislated maximum concentration levels (MCLs) with quantitative recoveries. Additionally, an on-line preconcentration procedure based on the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer as selective stationary phase in HPLC is proposed as a fast screening method for the evaluation of the presence of benzimidazole compounds in water samples.     

HPLC imprinted-stationary phase prepared by precipitation polymerisation for the determination of thiabendazole in fruit

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) tailored for the HPLC determination of the fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ) has been synthesised in one single preparative step by precipitation polymerisation in an acetonitrile/toluene co-solvent, using TBZ as template molecule, methacrylic acid as functional monomer and divinylbenzene-80 as crosslinker. The imprinted polymer particulates obtained were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen sorption porosimetry. These analyses showed clearly that spherical polymer particulates (polymer microspheres) with narrow size distributions (average particle diameter approximately 3.5 microm) and well-developed pore structures had been produced. The imprinted microspheres were packed into a stainless steel HPLC column (50 x 4.6 mm id) and evaluated as an imprinted stationary phase. The imprinting effect was demonstrated clearly, i.e., the column was observed to bind TBZ selectively, and the effect of different chromatographic parameters (e.g., temperature, flow-rate and elution solvents) on TBZ retention/elution studied. Under optimised conditions, the TBZ-imprinted column was used for the HPLC-fluorescence (HPLC-F) determination of TBZ directly from orange (both whole fruit and juice), lemon, grape and strawberry extracts at low concentration levels in less than 15 min, without any need for a clean-up step in the analytical protocol.     

Synthesis of core‐shell poly(divinylbenzene) microspheres via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer graft polymerization of styrene

Styrene has been grafted from crosslinked poly(divinylbenzene) core microspheres by both reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and conventional free radical polymerization. The core microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization. Crosslinked poly(DVB) core microspheres containing double bonds on the particle surface can be used directly to graft polymers from the surface by RAFT without prior modification of the core microspheres. The RAFT agent 1‐phenylethyl dithiobenzoate (PEDB) was used: Particle sizes increased from 2 μm up to 3.06 μm, and the particle weight increased by up to 6.5%. PEDB controls the particle weight gain, the particle volume, and the molecular weight of the soluble polymer. PEDB was also used to synthesize core poly(DVB) RAFT microspheres that contain residual RAFT end groups on the surface and within the particle. Styrene was subsequently grafted from the surface of these core poly(DVB) RAFT microspheres. The generated microspheres were characterized by ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, focused ion beam (FIB) milling, Coulter particle sizing, and size exclusion chromatography. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5067–5076, 2004     

Synthesis of well‐defined hairy polymer microspheres by precipitation polymerization and surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

A variety of polymer microspheres were successfully synthesized by the surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP) of monomers by using monodisperse polymer microsphere having benzyl halide moiety as a multifunctional polymeric initiator. First, a series of monodisperse polymer microsphere having benzyl chloride with variable monomer ratio (P(St‐DVB‐VBC)) were synthesized by the precipitation polymerization of styrene (St), divinylbenzene (DVB), and 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC). Next, hairy polymer microspheres were synthesized by the surface‐initiated ATRP of various monomers with P(St‐DVB‐VBC) microsphere as a multifunctional polymeric initiator. The hair length determined by the SEC analysis of free polymer was increased with the increase of M/I. These hairy polymer microspheres were characterized by SEM, FT‐IR, and Cl content measurements. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1296–1304     

Efficient one‐pot synthesis of water‐compatible and photoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles by facile RAFT precipitation polymerization

A facile, general, and highly efficient one‐pot approach to obtain azobenzene (azo)‐containing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles with photoresponsive template binding and release properties in aqueous media is described, which involves the combined use of hydrophilic macromolecular chain transfer agent‐mediated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer precipitation polymerization and easily available water‐insoluble azo functional monomers. The resulting azo‐containing MIPs were characterized with dynamic laser scattering (DLS), SEM, FTIR, static contact angle and water dispersion studies, and equilibrium binding experiments. They have proven to be nanoparticles (their diameters being around 104–397 nm, as determined by DLS in methanol) with surface‐grafted hydrophilic polymer brushes and exhibit excellent pure water‐compatible template binding properties. Moreover, obvious photoregulated template binding behaviors were observed for such azo‐containing MIP nanoparticles, which led to their largely accelerated template release in the aqueous media under the UV light irradiation. Furthermore, the general applicability of the strategy was also demonstrated. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1941–1952     

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers for strychnine by precipitation polymerization and multistep swelling and polymerization and their application for the selective extraction of strychnine from nux‐vomica extract powder

Monodisperse molecularly imprinted polymers for strychnine were prepared by precipitation polymerization and multistep swelling and polymerization, respectively. In precipitation polymerization, methacrylic acid and divinylbenzene were used as a functional monomer and crosslinker, respectively, while in multistep swelling and polymerization, methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were used as a functional monomer and crosslinker, respectively. The retention and molecular recognition properties of the molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by both methods for strychnine were evaluated using a mixture of sodium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile as a mobile phase by liquid chromatography. In addition to shape recognition, ionic and hydrophobic interactions could affect the retention of strychnine in low acetonitrile content. Furthermore, molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by both methods could selectively recognize strychnine among solutes tested. The retention factors and imprinting factors of strychnine on the molecularly imprinted polymer prepared by precipitation polymerization were 220 and 58, respectively, using 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.0)/acetonitrile (50:50, v/v) as a mobile phase, and those on the molecularly imprinted polymer prepared by multistep swelling and polymerization were 73 and 4.5. These results indicate that precipitation polymerization is suitable for the preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer for strychnine. Furthermore, the molecularly imprinted polymer could be successfully applied for selective extraction of strychnine in nux‐vomica extract powder.     

罗丹明B分子印迹聚合物微球的合成及其在固相萃取中的应用

以罗丹明B为模板分子,丙烯酰胺为功能单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,采用沉淀聚合法制备了罗丹明B分子印迹聚合物(MIP)微球,并用扫描电子显微镜表征。 采用紫外分光光度法测定了印迹分子罗丹明B与功能单体丙烯酰胺二者之间的结合常数(K=5.303×103 (mol/L)-1)和化学计量比(n=1)。 考察了沉淀剂的种类和用量对聚合物微球的影响。 将分子印迹聚合物微球应用于固相萃取材料自制固相萃取柱,从加标罗丹明B的红椒粉中萃取罗丹明B。 本文优化了固相萃取条件,高效液相色谱检测表明,在一定的萃取条件下,分子印迹聚合物对加标量为0.479 mg/kg的辣椒中罗丹明B的萃取加标回收率可达91.7％～103.5%。     

Adsorption of carbaryl using molecularly imprinted microspheres prepared by precipitation polymerization

To obtain the desired specific adsorbents for carbaryl to enrichment, separation, and analysis of trace pesticide residues in environmental water, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization using carbaryl, methacrylic acid (MAA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), and acetonitrile as template, functional monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, and porogen, respectively. Molecular modeling software was used to compute rational interaction between the template molecule and function monomer. The adsorption properties of carbaryl in acetonitrile for imprinted microspheres were evaluated by equilibrium rebinding experiments. Scatchard plot analysis revealed that there was one class of binding sites populated in the imprinted polymer microspheres with dissociation constants of 3.3 × 10^?2 mol/l and an apparent maximum number of 1.95 µmol/g. The specificity of the imprinted microspheres was investigated by binding analysis using carbaryl and structurally related carbamate pesticides. The results indicated that the obtained imprinted microspheres showed a good selectivity for carbaryl. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Selective 17‐β‐estradiol molecular imprinting

An efficient novel method for the synthesis of a covalent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) highly specific to β‐estradiol have been developed. MIP prepared by both covalent and non covalent techniques, demonstrated high selectivity toward β‐estradiol. MIPs were synthesized by radical polymerization of 17‐β‐estradiol 4‐vinyl‐benzene carboxyl or sulfonyl esters used as covalent functional monomers, methacrylic acid as noncovalent functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking agent, and acetonitrile as swelling and porogenic component. Almost 35% (w/w) of 17‐β‐estradiol was successfully removed from the polymer network by basic hydrolysis. The binding ability of MIP was 10.73 μg/mg MIP following removal of 17‐β‐estradiol in the 2 mg/mL β‐estradiol solution. Selective rebinding of β‐estradiol toward MIP was tested in the presence of competitive binders including estrone, 19‐nortestosterone, epiandrosterone, and cholesterol. Estrone having closest similar chemical structure to β‐estradiol exhibited only 0.6 μg/mg MIP competitive binding, being exposed to equivalent concentrations. Moreover, other competitive steroids demonstrated negligible affinity toward MIP indicating high selectivity of novel MIP system toward β‐estradiol. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5534–5542, 2009     

反乌头酸分子印迹聚合物微球的制备及其分子识别功能

以乙腈为分散剂,采用沉淀聚合法合成了反乌头酸分子印迹聚合物微球。研究了合成反应条件对聚合物形貌的影响,发现聚合前主客体氢键络合物和功能单体氢键低聚体是控制微球形成及其粒径大小的关键因素。通过振荡吸附法对聚合物的结合特性进行了评价,发现印迹聚合物微球对模板分子的识别选择性优于块状印迹聚合物和非印迹聚合物。     

Azobenzene-containing molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres with photo- and thermoresponsive template binding properties in pure aqueous media by atom transfer radical polymerization

A facile, general, and highly efficient approach to obtain azobenzene (azo)-containing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres with both photo- and thermoresponsive template binding properties in pure aqueous media is described for the first time, which involves the first synthesis of "living" azo-containing MIP microspheres with surface-immobilized alkyl halide groups via atom transfer radical precipitation polymerization (ATRPP) and their subsequent modification via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm). The successful grafting of poly(NIPAAm) (PNIPAAm) brushes onto the obtained MIP microspheres was confirmed by FT-IR, SEM, water dispersion stability and static contact angle studies, and template binding experiments. The introduction of PNIPAAm brushes onto the azo-containing MIP microspheres significantly improved their surface hydrophilicity and imparted thermoresponsive properties to them, leading to their pure water-compatible and thermoresponsive template binding properties. In addition, the binding affinity of the imprinted sites in the grafted azo-containing MIP microspheres was found to be photoresponsive toward the template in pure water, and this photoregulation process proved to be highly repeatable under photoswitching conditions.     

Preparation and characterization of grafted imprinted monolith for capillary electrochromatography

In this paper, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coating grafted to a trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) core material for CEC was reported. The core monolith was prepared with a solution of 20% (w/w) TRIM in a mixture of porogen and a polymerization precursor, which can generate a stable electroosmotic flow due to the formation of ionizable groups after postpolymerization hydrolization. Graft polymerization took place on the resultant TRIM monolith with a mixture of template, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. Strong recognition ability (selectivity factor was 5.83) for S‐amlodipine and resolution of enatiomers separation (up to 7.99) were obtained on the resulting grafted imprinted monolith in CEC mode. The influence of CEC conditions on chiral separation, including the composition of mobile phase, pH value, and the operating voltages was studied. These results suggest that the method of grafted polymerization reported here allows a rapid development of MIP monolith once core materials with desired properties are available, and is a good alternative to prepare CEC‐based monolithic MIPs.     

Preparation of a Pyrazosulfuron-Ethyl Imprinted Polymer with Hydrophilic External Layers by Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Precipitation and Grafting Polymerization

A new imprinted polymer with both functions of molecular recognition and macromolecule exclusion was synthesized for selective extraction of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl and removal of humic acids in environmental analysis. In the preparation, spherical pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymers were synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization. The hydrophilic polymer layers were then grafted on the surface of the imprinted polymer microspheres using post-RAFT polymerization. The conditions that influence the selectivity, size, and uniformity of the imprinted microspheres were studied systematically. The computer simulation was employed to study the template-monomer interaction. The solubility parameters of poly(MAA-co-EDMA) and porogen were calculated to investigate the relationship between the particle size and the solubility parameter. The results indicated that the pyrazosulfuron-ethyl imprinted polymers have special affinity for the template and several structurally related sulfonylurea herbicides. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with external hydrophilic chains not only had function of template retention, but also better function of protein/humic acid exclusion. This research demonstrates that multifunctional imprinted material with a narrow size distribution can be prepared by the RAFT polymerization.     

The Synthesis of Magnetic Lysozyme‐Imprinted Polymers by Means of Distillation–Precipitation Polymerization for Selective Protein Enrichment

A protein imprinting approach for the synthesis of core–shell structure nanoparticles with a magnetic core and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shell was developed using a simple distillation–precipitation polymerization method. In this work, Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles were first synthesized through a solvothermal method and then were conveniently surface‐modified with 3‐(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxylsilane as anchor molecules to donate vinyl groups. Next a high‐density MIP shell was coated onto the surface of the magnetic nanoparticles by the copolymerization of functional monomer acrylamide (AAm), cross‐linking agent N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), the initiator azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN), and protein in acetonitrile heated at reflux. The morphology, adsorption, and recognition properties of the magnetic molecularly imprinted nanoparticles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and rebinding experiments. The resulting MIP showed a high adsorption capacity (104.8 mg g^?1) and specific recognition (imprinting factor=7.6) to lysozyme (Lyz). The as‐prepared Fe₃O₄@Lyz‐MIP nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 320 nm were coated with an MIP shell that was 20 nm thick, which enabled Fe₃O₄@Lyz‐MIP to easily reach adsorption equilibrium. The high magnetization saturation (40.35 emu g^?1) endows the materials with the convenience of magnetic separation under an external magnetic field and allows them to be subsequently reused. Furthermore, Fe₃O₄@Lyz‐MIP could selectively extract a target protein from real egg‐white samples under an external magnetic field.     

安定分子印迹聚合物的制备及应用

以安定为模板分子,通过本体聚合和沉淀聚合的方法合成了分子印迹聚合物材料,考察了交联剂、致孔剂及温度等条件对聚合物材料性能的影响。电镜扫描图片显示本体聚合得到的聚合物呈不规则形状,而沉淀聚合得到的则是微球颗粒,形状规则。吸附实验表明,聚合物微球对安定的最大吸附量约为130μg/g,对奥沙西泮和硝西泮的吸附量约为110μg/g,对安定类化合物具有较高的吸附性能和选择性。通过对比合成现象和聚合物性能,最终选用以DVB为交联剂、乙腈为致孔剂合成的聚合物微球为固相萃取材料填充固相萃取小柱,从饲料及猪尿样品中选择性地分离、富集痕量安定类药物。结合高效液相色谱法检测,奥沙西泮、硝西泮和安定3种药物在0.1～20 mg/L范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.999 6～0.999 9,检出限(S/N=3)为0.03～0.08 mg/L,加标回收率为66%～79%。该方法为安定类药物的检测提供了一种新途径。     

Theoretical and experimental studies on the performances of barbital‐imprinted systems

By using density functional theory, we studied the interaction process between barbital and 2‐vinyl‐4,6‐diamino‐1,3,5‐triazine in acetonitrile at 333 K. Barbital and 2‐vinyl‐4,6‐diamino‐1,3,5‐triazine were used as the template and functional monomer, respectively. The molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres containing barbital and 2‐vinyl‐4,6‐diamino‐1,3,5‐triazine were synthesized through precipitation polymerization. After removing the template molecule barbital, the average diameter of the obtained molecularly imprinted polymers was 1.45 μm. By optimizing the molar ratio of barbital and the 2‐vinyl‐4,6‐diamino‐1,3,5‐triazine, the resulting molecularly imprinted polymers showed the highest adsorption for the barbital. The analysis of the Scatchard plot revealed that the dissociation constant (K_d) and apparent maximum adsorption quantity (Q_max) of the molecularly imprinted polymers were 30.69 mg/L and 8.68 mg/g, respectively. The study of selective adsorption showed that molecularly imprinted polymers exhibited higher selectivity for barbtital than that for 1,3‐dimethyl barbituric acid and pentobarbital. Herein, the studies can provide theoretical and experimental references for the barbital‐imprinted system.     

一种新型分子印迹聚合物基的化学发光阵列传感器

建立了一种分子印迹-化学发光阵列传感器测定甘氨酸的新方法. 该方法以甘氨酸为模板分子, 合成了分子印迹聚合物微球, 将该聚合物微球固定在96孔板上, 用它来识别丹磺酰氯标记的甘氨酸(Dns-Gly). 最后加入化学发光试剂(TCPO-H2O2-咪唑), 测量相对化学发光强度定量检测甘氨酸. 在最佳试验条件下, 相对化学发光强度和甘氨酸的浓度在0.2～60 μmol/L范围内成良好的线性关系, 相关系数为r＝0.9972, 方法的检出限为0.07 μmol/L, 对1 μmol/L甘氨酸溶液进行11次平行测定, 相对标准偏差为3.3% (n＝11). 由于以甘氨酸为模板分子合成出来的分子印迹聚合物空腔比较小, 避免了非特异性吸附, 使它在识别丹磺酰氯标记的甘氨酸时特异性、响应速度和灵敏度都有所增强.     

Preparation and Characterization of Prometryn Molecularly Imprinted Solid‐Phase Microextraction Fibers

Abstract

A novel reproducible solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) coating was prepared on the surface of silanized silica fibers by molecularly imprinted polymerization using prometryn as template molecule. The structure and extraction performance of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coating was studied with the scanning electron microscope and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Specific selectivity was found with the prometryn MIP‐coated fiber to prometry and its structural analogues such as atrazine, simetryn, terbutylazin, ametryn, propazine and terbutryn. In contrast, these triazines could not be selectively extracted by the non‐imprinted polymer fiber or commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB), polyacrylate (PA) fibers.