Molecularly-imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis

A method for making a material having a molecularly imprinted surface, the method comprising the steps of

• (a) providing a surfactant compound having a headgroup portion, wherein the headgroup portion comprises an imprint group,
• (b) combining the surfactant compound, a solvent and at least one reactive monomer to form a mixture and maintaining the mixture so that molecules of the surfactant compound self-assemble to form at least one supramolecular structure having a surface wherein the imprint groups are exposed on the surface and so that the supramolecular structure serves as a template wherein the molecules of the reactive monomer self-organize along the surface of the supramolecular structure and around the exposed imprint groups,
• (c) maintaining the mixture from step (b) so that the reactive monomers react with each other to form a solid structure having a surface topography complementary to the surface topography of the supramolecular structure having indentations complementary to the shape of the exposed imprint groups, and
• (d) removing the supramolecular structure from the solid structure.

A molecularly imprinted solid structure made by a method comprising the steps of

• (a) providing a surfactant coupled to an imprint group,
• (b) combining the surfactant with a solvent to form a mixture and maintaining the mixture so that molecules of the surfactant self-assemble to form at least one supramolecular structure having a surface and wherein the imprint groups are exposed on the surface,
• (c) combining the mixture from step (b) with at least one reactive monomer so that the supramolecular structure serves as a template for the organizing of molecules of the reactive monomer along the surface of the supramolecular structure and around the exposed imprint groups,
• (d) maintaining the mixture from step (c) so that the reactive monomers react with each other to form a solid structure having a surface topography complementary to the surface topography of the supramolecular structure and having indentations complementary to the shape of the exposed imprint groups, and
• (e) removing the supramolecular structure from the solid structure.

A molecularly imprinted solid structure made by a method comprising the steps of

• (a) providing a surfactant compound having a headgroup portion, wherein the headgroup portion comprises an imprint group,
• (b) combining the surfactant compound, a solvent and at least one reactive monomer to form a mixture and maintaining the mixture so that molecules of the surfactant compound self-assemble to form at least one supramolecular structure having a surface wherein the imprint groups are exposed on the surface and so that the supramolecular structure serves as a template wherein the molecules of the reactive monomer self-organize along the surface of the supramolecular structure and around the exposed imprint groups,
• (c) maintaining the mixture from step (b) so that the reactive monomers react with each other to form a solid structure having a surface topography complementary to the surface topography of the supramolecular structure having indentations complementary to the shape of the exposed imprint groups, and
• (d) removing the supramolecular structure from the solid structure.

A method of making molecularly imprinted particles comprising the steps of

• (a) providing a surfactant compound having a hydrophilic headgroup portion and a hydrophobic tail portion, wherein the headgroup portion comprises an imprint group,
• (b) combining the surfactant compound with (i) an organic solvent immiscible with water and capable of forming a stable microemulsion with water, and (ii) water to form a microemulsion of water domains within a continuous phase of the organic solvent, wherein molecules of the surfactant occupy the boundaries between the water domains and the organic solvent and wherein the molecules of the surfactant are oriented so that the imprint groups extend into the water domains,
• (c) adding at least one reactive monomer to the microemulsion wherein the reactive monomer polymerizes to form a solid particle in each water domain, each solid particle being surrounded by molecules of the surfactant and the surface of the solid particle having cavities complementary to the shape of the imprint group, and
• (d) isolating the solid particles and removing the surfactant.

A method of making molecularly imprinted silica particles comprising the steps of

• (a) providing a surfactant compound having a hydrophilic headgroup portion and a hydrophobic tail portion, wherein the headgroup portion comprises an imprint group,
• (b) combining the surfactant compound with an organic solvent immiscible with water and capable of forming a stable microemulsion with water, a hydrolyzing reagent, and water to form a microemulsion of water domains within a continuous phase of the organic solvent, wherein molecules of the surfactant occupy the boundaries between the water domains and the organic solvent and wherein the molecules of the surfactant are oriented so that the imprint groups extend into the water domains,
• (c) adding at least one alkoxysilane compound to the microemulsion wherein the alkoxysilane reacts with the hydrolyzing reagent to form a silica particle in each water domain, each silica particle being surrounded by molecules of the surfactant and the surface of the silica particle having cavities complementary to the shape of the imprint group, and
• (d) isolating the silica particles and removing the surfactant.