molecular imprinting in particle-stabilized emulsions: enlarging template size from small molecules to proteins and cells

Molecular imprinting of small organic compounds is now a standard procedure for preparation of tailor-designed affinity materials. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have outstanding stability and can be prepared in a large quantity, therefore are useful replacements for biological receptors for a number of applications including product purification, analytical separation, chemical sensing and controlled delivery and biomineralization. Although preparation of MIPs, in particular using the non-covalent imprinting strategy, has become a routine practice in many research laboratories, new synthetic methods continued to be invented, which contribute to new MIPs with unprecedented functional performances. As the size of the template increases from small organic compounds to biomacromolecules to large virus particles and cells, the traditional methods of imprinting often fail to give useful MIP products. Another important aspect is the shift from organic solvents to water for MIPs designed for treatment or analysis of biological samples. The demand on water-compatibility and recognition of larger entities for MIPs call for new and efficient synthetic methods. This mini review will summarize the recent progress of molecular imprinting using particle-stabilized emulsion as a general synthetic platform to furnish the new MIPs with the desired functions.