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Weirget


 X~rogel DenlSe
Eglegraulian 'w Oi


Figure 1-8. Sol-Gel technologies and their products.61

 1.6 Molecular Imprinting and Miniemulsion Polymerization

 The concept of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) was first introduced by Wulff

nearly thirty years ago.65 Since then, the methodology has undergone a number of important

developments, and MIPs have been used in a wide range of techniques (in solid-phase extraction,

as biosensors, as catalysts, and as binding assays) and approaches covalentt, non-covalent, metal

coordination).66-7 MIPs result from the polymerization of monomeric units in the presence of a

template molecule. The imprinting strategy investigated in Chapter 7 is shown in Figure 1-9 and

uses the non-covalent imprinting approach first developed by Mosbach.73,74 Functional

monomers are associated with a template via non-covalent interactions. The complex is then

copolymerized with a cross-linking monomer, followed by removal of the template using

extraction procedures. Removal of the template results in cavities whose shape, size,

functionality, and spatial arrangement are complementary to the imprinted molecule. These