Book title: Molecularly Imprinted Materials-2003
Editors: Kofinas P, Sellergren B, Roberts MJ
Publisher: Materials Research Society
City: Warrendale
Series title: MRS Symposium Proceedings
Volume number: 787
Abstract: Molecular imprinting is a useful technique for making a chemically selective binding site. [1] The method involves building a synthetic polymeric scaffold of molecular compliments containing the target molecule with subsequent removal of the target to leave a cavity with a structural "memory" of the target. Molecularly imprinted polymers can be employed as selective adsorbents of specific molecules or molecular functional groups. Sensors for specific molecules can be made using optical transduction through chromophores residing in the imprinted site. The use of metal ions as chromophores can improve selectivity due to directional bonding. The combination of molecular imprinting and spectroscopic selectivity can result in sensors that are highly sensitive and nearly immune to interferences