Magnetic MIPs: Synthesis and Applications

Abstract

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) are constructed based on the blending of inorganic nanoparticles with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). MMIPs are synthesized in a core-shell format in which inorganic nanoparticles are applied as the core part of the material while selective polymeric layers are used as the shell covering the surface of the core area. In essence, MMIPs thus reflect a combination of the best characteristics of both inorganic nanoparticles and MIPs, where the specificity of cavities imprinted on the MIP is merged with superparamagnetic properties of the nano-magnetite. The synergic combination of the two distinct materials facilitates the process of extracting analytes from complex samples. Owing to their suitable characteristics, MMIPs have become widely used in different areas of analysis.