Synthesis and optimization of molecularly imprinted polymers for quercetin

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized through solution polymerization using quercetin as the template molecule, N‐vinylpyrrolidone and acrylic acid as functional monomers, N,N′‐methylenebiacrylamide as crosslinker and the redox system L ‐ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide as initiator in the porogen of ethanol and water. During the optimization process an interference compound, genistein (5,7,4′‐trihydroxy isoflavone), which possesses the same skeleton and functional groups as quercetin, was adopted to optimize the preparation conditions, and the separation degree of the MIP to quercetin and genistein was chosen to optimize each factor. The synthesized MIP under optimal conditions showed a specific recognition of quercetin from a mixture of quercetin and genistein. Thereafter, the structure of the MIP was comparatively characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis using non‐imprinted molecular polymers as control. In addition, the kinetics of the adsorption process were also studied, and Scatchard analysis revealed that heterogeneous binding sites were formed in the polymers. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Comparison of thin‐layer and bulk MIPs synthesized by photoinitiated in situ crosslinking polymerization from the same reaction mixtures

The synthesis and comparative characterization of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in two different formats, as thin layers grafted to the entire surface of polypropylene microfiltration membranes and as conventional particles, are described. Imprinting with atrazine was performed by using itaconic acid and N,N′‐methylene‐bisacrylamide as functional and crosslinker monomers in methanol as the solvent. Polymerization had been initiated by UV irradiation of benzoin ethyl ether and driven to low monomer conversion for the thin‐layer polymers and to high monomer conversion for the bulk materials. The binding performance of MIP composite membranes and of MIP particles packed into cartridges was evaluated in solid‐phase extraction (SPE) experiments of atrazin and simazin from aqueous solutions. The SPE performance depended strongly on pH and buffer concentration. Although an imprinting effect was observed for both formats, the specificity (MIP versus Blank) and the selectivity (atrazin versus simazin) were much higher for the thin‐layer composite membranes than for the bulk polymer particles. In particular, the atrazin/simazin selectivity increased from 32% for the Blank to 78% for the MIP composite membranes. A major reason is the hindered accessibility of the internal pore structure of the particles, whereas the porous filtration membranes are much more compatible with the fast SPE protocol. Furthermore, based on pK_a of the functional carboxylic acid groups—from potentiometric titration and polarity of the binding environment—from fluorescent probe analysis, different properties of the imprinted binding sites can be postulated for the two MIP formats. However, the differences between MIP and Blank were much more pronounced for the thin‐layer composite membranes. The hydrophobic surface of the polypropylene membrane appeared to be a major factor affecting the binding performance of thin‐layer MIPs. The new porous composite membranes could be particularly useful as selective SPE materials in environmental, pharmaceutical, and analytical applications. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 362–372, 2005     

Synthesis and characterization of 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid imprinted polymers

Eight molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP1–MIP8) were synthesized with different functional monomers and porogens using 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) as a template. Thermal, radical bulk polymerization was employed in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross‐linker. A computational analysis indicated that complexes with four molecules of 4‐vinylpyridine, 1‐vinylimidazole and acrylonitrile had high positive enthalpies of formation. The polymers synthesized with these monomers showed an imprinting factor below 1. Polymer MIP8 synthesized with allylamine as the functional monomer, with the highest energy of interaction with DOPAC, was characterized by the highest imprinting factor equal to 1.91. Examination of the binding ability of DOPAC and a group of structurally related compounds showed that the strong interactions between amine groups in the polymer and carboxylic groups in the analyte governed the recognition mechanism. The Langmuir adsorption model and the pseudo‐second‐order mechanism properly evaluated the MIP8 and non‐imprinted polymer 8 adsorption characteristics. Scatchard analysis revealed that MIP8 had two classes of heterogeneous binding sites with K_d(1) = 0.12 µmol L^?1 and K_d(2) = 1.46 µmol L^?1. Finally, the potential application of MIP8 for separation of DOPAC was demonstrated. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Release evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers prepared under molecular crowding conditions

In this work, molecular crowding agent was first applied to the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)‐based drug release system. With S‐naproxen as template, the MIPs were prepared with methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, in the presence of polystyrene as molecular crowding by precipitation polymerization. Morphology and particle size of the resulting MIP sub‐micrometer microparticles were determined by scanning electron microcopy and dynamic light scattering. The influence of several parameters on the sustained release of the imprinted polymers was investigated, including the molar ratio of the imprint molecule to the functional monomers, the molar ratio of the functional monomers to the crosslinking monomers, and the type of the porogen. In addition, the release of the MIP was compared to that of the traditionally prepared imprinted polymers with other porogens. The transport mechanism of template was studied by fitting experiment data with different model equations and calculating the corresponding parameters. The novel MIPs prepared with molecular crowding were able to prolong S‐naproxen, in a phosphate buffers solution of pH 7.4, for more than 12 h, indicating better sustained release effect than that prepared with noncrowding agent. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Molecular imprinted solid‐phase extraction of huperzine A from Huperzia Serrata

On the basis of the non‐covalent interaction between template and monomer, porous molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized by a thermal‐initiated polymerization method using huperzine A as template, acrylamide, or methacrylic acid as function monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross‐linking agent. The interaction between template and functional monomers was studied by UV spectrophotometry, which showed a formation of huperzine A‐monomer complexes with stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 2 in the pre‐polymerized systems. The resultant MIP particles were tested in the equilibrium binding experiment to analyze their adsorption ability to huperzine A, and were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) study. The recognition properties of MIP were estimated in solid‐phase extraction by selecting four compounds (isolated from the Chinese herb Huperzia serrata) as substrates, and were compared with and prior to those of the NIP. High affinity and adsorption of MIP1 which was prepared in chloroform with huperzine A as imprinted molecule, and acrylamide (AM) as functional monomer, made an attractive application of MIP1 in separation processes. In final, using MIP1 solid‐phase extraction micro‐column, huperzine A was enriched and separated from the real extraction sample of Huperzia serrata. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Computer simulation and synthesis of stimuli‐responsive polymer by sol‐gel for selective recognition of (4‐chloro‐2‐methylphenoxy)acetic acid

A novel photoresponsive functional monomer bearing a siloxane polymerizable group and azobenzene moieties was synthesized, and then photoresponsive molecularly imprinted sol‐gel polymers were successfully fabricated from the synthesized functional monomer, using (4‐chloro‐2‐methylphenoxy)acetic acid (MCPA) as a molecular template. The photoisomerization properties of the functional monomer are retained after incorporation into the rigid three‐dimensional crosslinked polymer matrix. The template is then removed from the resulting polymer to generate pores, which are complementary to the template in shape, size and functionality. The substrate affinity of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) receptor sites is photoswitchable. This can be attributed to the photoisomerization of azobenzene chromophores within the MIP receptors, resulting in alteration of their geometry and the spatial arrangement of their binding functionalities. The binding affinity of the imprinted recognition sites was switchable by alternate irradiation with UV and visible light, suggesting that azobenzene groups located inside the binding sites could be used as chemical sensors and the trans–cis isomerization could regulate the affinity for MCPA. To study the hydrogen bond interactions between template molecules and functional monomer, computational molecular modeling was employed. The data indicate that the design of the MIP is rational. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Clozapine recognition via molecularly imprinted polymers; bulk polymerization versus precipitation method

Two clozapine (CLZ) imprinted polymers were prepared by bulk and precipitation methods. Methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) were used as functional and crosslinker monomers, respectively. The mean diameter and particle size distribution of the imprinted (P‐MIP) and nonimprinted (P‐NIP) particles obtained in precipitation method were examined. A conventional batch‐adsorption test was applied for characterization of CLZ–polymer interaction. Dissociation constant (K_D) and maximum binding sites (B_max) were calculated using Scatchard analysis. To evaluate the recognition properties of polymers, phenytoin (PTN) binding to each polymer was also studied and compared to CLZ. The imprinting factor (IF) and selectivity factor (α) were also determined for each polymer. Average diameter and polydispersity of P‐MIP were 925 nm and 0.17, respectively. The data for P‐NIP were 1.05 μm and 0.18. The K_D, IF, and α values calculated for P‐MIP were 0.45 μM, 3.26, and 17.43, respectively. The data for imprinted polymer, prepared by bulk polymerization (B‐MIP), were 14.5 μM, 1.95, and 3.67. These results demonstrated that precipitation polymerization is a more convenient, more effective, and more reproducible method than bulk polymerization for the synthesis of uniformly sized micron and submicron‐imprinted polymer particles. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

The preparation of molecularly imprinted poly(o‐phenylenediamine) membranes for the specific O,O‐dimethyl‐α‐hydroxylphenyl phosphonate sensor and its characterization by AC impedance and cyclic voltammetry

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membrane for sensing O,O‐dimethyl‐α‐hydroxylphenyl phosphonate (DHP) has been prepared by electropolymerizing o‐phenylenediamine on the glassy carbon electrodes in the presence of DHP. Optimization studies with the aim to enhance insulating properties and response kinetics of the polymer membrane were carried out with respect to template molecular concentration, the monomers concentration, the polymer membrane thick and scan rate. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance have been used to characterize the behavior of MIP polymer membrane. The capacitive measurements were also certified the imprinting effect of the polymer layers. The experimental results showed that DHP imprinted polymer has better recognition property for the template than that of a blank polymer. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2222–2227, 2006     

Ibuprofen‐imprinted ultrathin poly[N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide] films

Surface molecularly imprinted (MIP) poly[N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide] [poly(HPMA)] films were prepared via interface‐mediated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization from 4‐cyano‐4‐(propylsulfanylthiocarbonyl) sulfanyl pentanoic acid immobilized silicon substrate using N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide as the functional monomer, N,N′‐methylene(bis)acrylamide as the crosslinking agent, and ibuprofen as the template molecule. The highly crosslinked MIP layer (～12 nm) was homogeneously grafted onto the silicon surface, which favors fast mass transfer and rapid binding kinetics. Binding capacities and adsorption parameters of the MIP poly(HPMA) films were calculated from the root‐mean‐square roughness data obtained by atomic force microscopy measurements using the Luzinov and Langmuir equations adopted for this study. The target binding assays demonstrate the desirable binding capacity and imprinting efficiency of the MIP poly(HPMA) films. Meanwhile, the computational optimization and energy calculations showed the formation of the self‐assembly of monomer and template molecule via noncovalent interactions that leads to a 1:4 molecular complex between ibuprofen and N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide. This study provides a versatile approach to the quantitative determination of low‐molecular‐weight biomolecules on surface‐imprinted polymers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45707.     

Preparation and characterization of molecularly imprinted polymer of bovine serum albumin

Molecularly imprinted polymer beads of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were prepared via inverse phase suspension polymerization, using BSA as the template molecule, a combination of acrylamide and methacrylic acid (MAA) as double functional monomers, and N, N′‐methylene bisacrylamide as the crosslinker. The effect of different monomer ratios and degrees of crosslinking were investigated. When both selectivity and physical properties of the resultant polymer beads were taken into account, the ratio of MAA in the total monomers was chosen at 40% (m/m) and the degree of crosslinking at 30% (n/n), the resultant polymer beads had good selectivity (α = 2.77) and good physical properties. The effects of pH and temperature were studied. It turned out that the functionalization of polymers of BSA prepared via inverse‐phase suspension polymerization exhibited specific recognition for BSA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

四溴双酚A分子印迹聚合物的制备及其吸附机制初探

采用分子印迹技术,以四溴双酚A为模板分子、2-乙烯吡啶为功能单体、乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂。通过本体聚合法合成了对四溴双酚A具有高度选择性的印迹聚合物。平衡吸附实脸表明：与空白聚合物相比,四溴双酚A印迹聚合物具有较高的吸附能力和选择识别能力。同时比较了印迹聚合物对模板分子和结构相似物的识别能力。结果表明印迹聚合物对四溴双酚A具有更好的特异选择性和识别能力,为复杂介质中四溴双酚A的富集检测提供了一种快速准确有效的方法。     

Preparation and evaluation of a molecularly imprinted polymer for tolazoline

A uniformly sized molecularly imprinted polymer for the peripheral vasodilator drug tolazoline (T‐MIP) was prepared, and a nonimprinted polymer (NIP) was also synthesized in the same way but in the absence of the template. The T‐MIP was prepared with methylacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinker by a multistep swelling and polymerization method. These imprinted materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and static adsorption experiments. Binding studies were also performed to evaluate the uptake of T‐MIP and NIP with the results that T‐MIP had a significantly higher binding capacity for tolazoline (T) than did NIP. The maximum static adsorption capacities of T‐MIP and NIP for T were 78.9 and 38.8 μmol/g, respectively. The T‐MIPs and NIPs were used as stationary phases of solid‐phase extraction (SPE), and a relative selectivity coefficient (k′) value of 5.21 was obtained, which showed that the T‐MIP sorbent had higher selectivity than the NIP sorbent. The method was applied to the determination of T in urine samples. The prepared polymer sorbent showed promise for SPE for gas chromatography determination of T in urine samples. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Molecularly imprinted polymer membranes for substance‐selective solid‐phase extraction from aqueous solutions

Thin‐layer molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) composite membranes for selective binding of monocrotophos (MCP) pesticide from aqueous solutions were developed. The procedure was based on commercially available membrane modules that were rinsed with prepolymerization imprinting mixtures. After the in situ polymerization and generation of MIP films on the membranes within the modules, the membranes were evaluated in terms of affinity toward the target molecule MCP. MIP membranes with different porogens and different monomers on Nylon‐6 membranes were prepared. It was shown that MIP membranes synthesized with methacrylic acid as monomer and toluene as porogens on the Nylon‐6 membranes provided a highly selective binding of MCP from aqueous solutions under the optimized elution conditions. With the novel surface modification technique, the low nonspecific binding properties of the microfiltration membrane could successfully be combined with the receptor properties of molecular imprints, yielding substance‐specific MIP composite membranes. The high affinity of these synthetic membranes to MCP pesticide together with their straightforward and inexpensive preparation could be applied in a fast preconcertration step, solid‐phase extraction, by a simple microfitration for the determination of MCP in water. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 4468–4473, 2006     

D-对羟基苯甘氨酸分子印迹聚合物的制备及分子识别能力

以D-对羟基苯甘氨酸（D-HPG）为模板分子,以丙烯酰胺（AM）和α-甲基丙烯酸（MAA）为功能单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,合成了D-HPG分子印迹聚合物,并测定其对D-HPG的识别能力。静态吸附实验表明,以MAA为功能单体制备的分子印迹聚合物具有更强的分子识别能力,其饱和吸附量达43.9 μmol•g^-1,印迹因子α为3.6。分子力学计算表明,MAA与D-HPG形成复合物的结合能较大,且MAA在乙醇和水中的溶剂化能较小,因此与AM比较,MAA和模板分子D-HPG在乙醇和水中能形成更加稳定的复合物。紫外光谱分析表明,MAA与D-HPG之间的结合力比AM与D-HPG之间的结合力要强,与分子力学计算以及静态吸附实验得到的结果相一致。     

Molecularly imprinted PVC beads for the recognition of proteins

Ultrathin films of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) were prepared by photoiniferter on PVC beads for the selective uptake of lysozyme, taken as a model protein. Acrylamide was selected as the functional monomer and N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinking agent. The copolymerization process was confined to the surface of the PVC beads grafted with diethyldithiocarbamate iniferter initiator in the presence of lysozyme. After extraction of lysozyme from the shell of the PVC‐MIP beads, the latter were then used as artificial receptors for the rebinding of lysozyme. The sequential steps of the modification of PVC beads were monitored by XPS, infrared and Raman spectroscopies. The imprinting step was found to be essential as the PVC‐MIP beads could recognize lysozyme but not the non‐imprinted beads (PVC‐NIP). The binding properties of PVC‐MIP beads were determined using UV spectroscopy from adsorption isotherms of lysozyme, cytochrome, and myoglobin. The imprinted beads were found to be highly selective toward lysozyme over the competitive proteins. This work shows the interest of photoiniferter as an efficient mean for the design of molecularly imprinted polymer beads for rapid, selective removal of proteins. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43694.     

Water-assisted formation of novel molecularly imprinted polymer membranes with ordered porous structure

A functional polymer, poly(styrene-stat-acrylonitrile-stat-vinyl-2,4-diamino-1,3,5-triazine) (modified SAN, mSAN) with 13.6% triazine units, was synthesized. Using mSANs as the functional polymers and poly(styrene-stat-acrylonitriles) (SANs) as the matrix polymers, the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes with (S)-5-benzylhydantoin (S-BZH) as template and the Blank membranes without S-BZH were prepared via the water-assisted method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurement revealed an ordered porous structure on the surface and a sponge-like porous structure in the cross-section of the MIP membranes. Further, the permeation experiments of the template S-BZH and its analogues in methanol solution were carried out with MIP as well as Blank membranes; the results provided evidence for imprint effect of the ordered porous membranes.     

Side chain functionality dominated the chromatography of N‐protected amino acid on molecularly imprinted polymer

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with N^α‐protected amino acid as the print molecule was prepared and used as the stationary phase for the chromatographic study of molecular recognition. Particles of MIP were prepared by photopolymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine in the presence of tert‐butyloxycarbonyl‐L ‐tyrosine (Boc‐L ‐Tyr) and packed into a column for the chromatographic resolution of Boc‐L ‐Tyr and tert‐butyloxycarbonyl‐L ‐phenylalanine (Boc‐L ‐Phe). These two N^α‐protected amino acids that differ from each other in the side chain with one hydroxyl group on the benzene ring could be well separated on the MIP. A separation factor of about two was achieved by using a mixture of acetonitrile (99.5 v/v %) and acetic acid (0.5 v/v %) as the mobile phase. Results suggest that the interaction between hydroxyl group in the side chain of amino acid and pyridine in the polymer dominated the selective adsorption of print molecule on the MIP. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Composite Microfiltration Membranes Imprinted with cAMP

Composite microfiltration membranes covered with a thin layer of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) selective to adenosine 3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) were obtained and their separation properties were studied. MIP layers were prepared using photoinitiated copolymerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEM) as a functional monomer and trimethylopropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) as a crosslinker in the presence of cAMP as template in ethanol/water mixture. Blank membranes were prepared under the same conditions, but without cAMP. It was found out that pH of aqueous solution of the template has an effect on the binding of cAMP with MIP membranes. It was concluded that the ability of MIP membranes to bind cAMP is a result of both ionic interactions between charged dimethylamino groups of polymer matrix and the phosphorous residue of cAMP molecule and the specific shape of recognizing sites. These sites are complementary to cAMP in terms of three dimensional shape as well as correct position of functional groups involved in the template binding. This paper shows that the binding capability of MIP membranes can be adjusted by varying the values of degree of modification (DM). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Force Microscopy (SEM) were used to visualise surfaces and cross sections of membranes to gain better understanding in the analysis of MIP layer deposited on membranes.     

单体对分子印迹聚合物分子识别能力的影响：量子化学计算与实验研究

采用密度泛函方法计算功能单体与印迹分子的结合能,以与目标分子结合能最大的单体分子来合成分子印迹聚合物.为此,以茶碱为印迹分子,氯仿为溶剂,首先计算了茶碱与甲基丙烯酸、丙烯酰胺和三氟甲基丙烯酸的结合能,其强度顺序为：三氟甲基丙烯酸 > 甲基丙烯酸 > 丙烯酰胺.然后以茶碱为印迹分子、氯仿为溶剂、二甲基丙烯酸乙二醇酯为交联剂,分别采用上述3种单体合成分子印迹聚合物并测定了其分子识别能力,实验结果和量子化学计算结果具有一致性.最后,采用1H NMR考察了茶碱和上述3种单体之间的氢键作用,揭示出二者相互作用的内在机制.研究结果表明量子计算方法可以应用于合成分子印迹聚合物时单体的选择.     

Synthesis of lysozyme imprinted column with macroporous structure and enhanced selectivity: Utilization of cryogelation technique and electrostatic functional monomers

Applicability of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) in conventional protein separation processes demands monolithic construction of columns with macroporous structure in addition to the high specificity and adsorption capacity. In this study, therefore, lysozyme (Lyz) imprinted monolithic cryogel columns were synthesized using electrostatic functional monomers (EFMs) to provide strong interactions between template and polymer, leading to specific recognition and capture of Lyz. SEM images and FTIR spectroscopy analysis confirmed the macroporous structure and presence of EFMs in the samples. Adsorption isotherms, heterogeneity, and breakthrough curves as well as selectivity of the molecularly imprinted cryogels (EFMs‐MIC) and non‐imprinted cryogels (EFMs‐NIC) were investigated. Results showed effective imprinting with a maximum adsorption capacity of 211 mg/g and a high imprinting factor (IF) of 4.2 at low Lyz concentrations. A high relative selectivity coefficient of 7.24 was obtained for Lyz over cytochrome c, a competing protein, indicating that the imprinted sites could well distinguish Lyz. Reusability of MICs was also examined, where insignificant changes were observed in the cryogel adsorption/desorption characteristics after four cycles. Therefore, it is suggested to use EFMs and cryogelation in the synthesis of imprinted monolithic cryogels column for application in conventional protein separation processes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42880.