Special Issue "Molecular Imprinting Science and Technology"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Ian A. Nicholls
School of Pure & Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
Website: http://www.hik.se/bbcl
E-Mail: ian.nicholls@hik.se
Phone: +46 (0)480 446258; +46 (0)70 7576868 (mobile)
Interests: host-guest chemistry; biomimetic systems; catalysis; nanomaterials; functional polymers; bionanotechnology; phage display

Guest Editor
Dr. Michael J. Whitcombe
Lecturer in Supramolecular Chemistry, Cranfield Health, Vincent Building, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
E-Mail: m.whitcombe@cranfield.ac.uk

Dear Colleagues,

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), synthetic polymers with a predetermined capacity to recognise a given molecular structure, continue to attract interest as tools for studying recognition pheomena and as key components in technques and devices for use in a variety of application areas.

Since the seminal work of Polyakov during the 1930s, the field has undergone a period of nearly exponantial growth. The continued rapid expansion of this dynamic field shall be fueled both by studies leading to an increasing understanding of the mechanisms underlying the recognition characteristics of these synthetic polymers, and equally by the development of novel applications for MIPs.  Separation science, drug delivery, sensor technology and catalysis, are some of the areas where MIPs have left their imprint.

This volume provides a highly visible forum for high quality current original research reports and critical reviews covering both fundamental and applied aspects of this exciting field.

Prof. Dr. Ian A. Nicholls
Dr. Michael J. Whitcombe
Guest Editors

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• molecularly imprinted polymer
• molecular imprinting
• functional material
• biomimetic

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Behaviour of Phenols and Phenoxyacids on a Bisphenol-A Imprinted Polymer. Application for Selective Solid-Phase Extraction from Water and Urine Samples
Author: Encarnación Rodríguez Gonzalo
Affiliation: Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry Department, University of Salamanca, Plaza de la Merced s/n. 37008 Salamanca, Spain; E-Mail: erg@usal.es
Abstract: A uniformly sized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) obtained by precipitation polymerisation with 4-vinylpyridine as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, and bisphenol-A (BPA) as template has been prepared. The binding characteristics of the MIP and bisphenol-A were evaluated using equilibrium binding experiments. Scatchard analysis revealed that two classes of binding sites were formed in the imprinted polymer, with dissociation constants of 10.3 mmol L-1 and 625.0 mmol L-1, respectively. The behaviour of the bisphenol-A-MIP for the extraction of several phenolic compounds and phenoxyacid herbicides has been studied in organic and aqueous media in the presence of other pesticides in common use. From organic medium it was possible to carry out the selective preconcentration of the target analytes with recoveries higher than 70 %. In aqueous medium, hydrophobic interactions were found to exert a remarkably non-specific contribution to the overall binding process. Several parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the BPA-MIP were evaluated to achieve the selective preconcentration of phenolic compounds and phenoxyacid herbicides from aqueous samples. The possibility of using the BPA-MIP as a selective sorbent to preconcentrate phenolic compounds and phenoxyacid herbicides from complex samples such as urine and river water has been evaluated.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Imprinted Resins for the Removal of Toxic Ions from Water
Author: Anja Mueller
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, USA; E-Mail: muell1a@cmich.edu
Abstract: Toxic heavy metal ions are difficult to remove from water since they exist in low concentrations and bind only weakly to ion exchange resins. Here imprinting polymerization based on metal-ligand forces is used to develop resins with high capacity for heavy metal ions. The total capacity and breakthrough curve for cadmium ions is reported. The method was extended to arsenate, which does not exhibit strong metal-ligand bonds. Imprinting was found to improve arsenate retention as well, but the method still has to be optimized.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Molecularly Imprinted Polymers: Present and Future Prospective
Author: Giuseppe Vasapollo
Affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Innovazione, Università di Lecce, Via Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy; E-Mail: giuseppe.vasapollo@unisalento.it
Abstract: Molecular Imprinted Technology (MIT) is a technique to design artificial receptors with a predetermined selectivity and specificity for a given analyte, which can be used as ideal materials in various application fields. The molecular imprinted polymer (MIP), the polymeric matrices obtained using the MIT technology, are robust molecular recognition elements able to mimic natural recognition entities, such as antibodies and biological receptors, useful to separate and analyze complicated samples such as biological fluids and environmental samples. This review aims to outline the molecular imprinted technology and present a summary of principal application fields of molecular imprinted polymer used as selective sorbents in several analytical techniques including chemical sensing, separation science, drug delivery and catalysis.