On the Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Analytical and Sensor Applications

Summary Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via the precipitation polymerization process in a single preparative step. Initially, the effects of process parameters (i.e., type of functional monomer and porogen) on the particle morphology were experimentally investigated. Subsequently, various MIP NPs were synthesized in the presence of a herbicide (i.e., atrazine), acting as template molecule. Batch‐wise guest binding experiments were then performed to determine the rebinding capacity of the synthesized MIP NPs toward the template molecule. The present results demonstrate the potential application of the synthesized MIP NPs for analytical and sensor applications.