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Recent advances on noncovalent molecular imprints for affinity separations
Author(s) -
Wei Shuting,
Mizaikoff Boris
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.200700166
Subject(s) - molecularly imprinted polymer , rational design , molecular imprinting , nanotechnology , analyte , chiral stationary phase , chemistry , molecular recognition , combinatorial chemistry , non covalent interactions , materials science , selectivity , chromatography , molecule , organic chemistry , high performance liquid chromatography , hydrogen bond , catalysis
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor‐made synthetic materials capable of selectively rebinding a target analyte, or a group of structurally related compounds based on a combination of recognition mechanisms including size, shape, and functionality. Among the advantageous properties of MIPs are the achievable specific affinity, the relative ease of preparation, and their mechanical and chemical robustness, which renders them ideal materials for applications as stationary phase ( e. g. , affinity chromatography or SPE), or as antibody mimics ( e. g. , biomimetic assays). Here, we review recent advancements on the application of MIPs in affinity separations and biomimetic assays, which have focused on the synthesis of size‐ and shape‐uniform particles facilitating reproducibility, improved binding site accessibility, and enhanced affinity. While MIPs certainly offer promising potential as selective separation phase in a variety of applications, deeper understanding of the fundamental interactions governing imprinting, and rational understanding of the imprinting mechanism has yet to be achieved for providing rational guidelines in deliberately designing next‐generation MIP materials.