Molecularly imprinted polymer-based biosensors

Molecular imprinting is a versatile technique for the preparation of synthetic receptors, on the basis of complexes between a template molecule and polymerizable monomers. After polymerization process, the products are called molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). These polymers are prepared by using cross-linked polymers containing cavities specific to an analyte. These cavities are created by copolymerization of cross-linking monomers and functional monomers along with an imprinting molecule or template. In the molecular imprinting technique, the first important step is the interactions of template molecule with functional monomer before polymerization. The monomer-template interactions may occur in two different ways: covalent or noncovalent interactions. The second important step is to remove the template molecule from the resulting polymer to generate the vacant recognition sites for the template molecule in terms of both functional groups and size [1-3]. The MIP then selectively rebinds to the analyte compound [4,5]. By this way, MIP technologies imitate biological antibody systems that function on the basis of specific binding sites where an antigen binds strongly to an antibody [5]. © 2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.