Molecular imprinting on microgel spheres

Molecularly imprinted polymers have been prepared in various configurations including, for example, polymer beads, monoliths and membranes for differe nt applications. The most common form of imprinted polymer is, however, sti ll the irregularly shaped particle obtained by grinding the traditional, ma croporous polymer monolith. We herein present a novel and efficient approac h leading to imprinted microspheres, i.e. microgels bearing binding sites s pecific to target molecules. Imprinted microgels are proposed to be the bas ic components in previously reported, molecularly imprinted, cross-linked p olymers, although the polymers themselves may exist in different forms depe nding on the preparation method utilised. Chemical modification of the mole cularly imprinted microspheres introduces additional functionalities that m ay be used to couple sensing elements in various assay formats, or for the immobilisation of the imprinted microspheres on various transducers towards the development of biomimetic sensors. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.