Polymers prepared using smart templates

Abstract

New molecularly imprinted polymers are described, and a method for their production using novel particle technology based on multifunctional placeholder templates.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority under the provisions of 35 USC 119 to Swedish Patent Application No. 1430090-9 filed on Jun. 26, 2014. The disclosure of Swedish Patent Application No. 1430090-9 is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, for all purposes.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present describes new molecularly imprinted polymers and a method for their production using novel particle technology based on multifunctional placeholder templates.BACKGROUND ART[0003]Molecular imprinting refers to a templating technique for producing inverse replicas of individual molecules in network polymer. This approach has been used to generate porous materials exhibiting receptor-like affinity for a large variety of template structures. Commonly referred to as plastic antibodies, these can now be produced of a similar size and featuring binding properties resembling antibodies. Their ability to function in complex environments including b...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent proposes a method to make molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in high yield, in the form of nano- or micro-particles, with a unique affinity for a specific target molecule. These MIPs can be made using a scalable process that allows for practical and economic recycling and reuse of the template. The method uses nanosized, multifunctional, and recyclable placeholder templates, which allow for easy enrichment of imprinted particles based on their affinity in a template-free form. This approach also allows multiple parallel reactions to be performed using a scalable process, which is more efficient than alternative techniques involving solid phase synthesis of MIP nanoparticles.

Problems solved by technology

One recurring problem associated with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) is viewed when testing the reuptake of template to the empty binding sites.

The low yield of binding sites results in a strong dependence of selectivity and binding uptake on sample load.

Template occlusion is another recurring problem in traditional molecular imprinting.

Typically a small fraction of the template added to the monomer mixture remains entrapped or bound in the polymer matrix which can result in bleeding—a process detrimental when using the MIPs as enrichment phases in trace analysis.

Moreover, template recovery is not straightforward requiring multiple purification steps.

This is unpractical and costly in cases where expensive templates are used.

Hardly avoidable, the kinetically controlled formation of the polymer network leads to a statistical distribution of binding site microenvironments.

In spite of the above individually promising results, none of the reported methods address the remaining problems i.e. 1) template occlusion and recycling and 2) process scalability and 3) parallelism and miniaturization There is therefore a need for new techniques allowing simultaneously interfacial imprinting, nanoparticle production, template recycling and parallelism and scalability.

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