US 6,583,191 B2 · Molecularly-imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis

Abstract

A method of making a molecularly imprinted porous structure makes use of a surfactant analog of the molecule to be imprinted that has the imprint molecule portion serving as the surfactant headgroup. The surfactant analog is allowed to self-assemble in a mixture to create at least one supramolecular structure having exposed imprint groups. The imprinted porous structure is formed by adding reactive monomers to the mixture and allowing the monomers to polymerize, with the supramolecular structure serving as a template. The resulting solid structure has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the supramolecular structure and has cavities that are the mirror image of the imprint group. Similarly, molecularly imprinted particles may be made by using the surfactant to create a water-in-oil microemulsion wherein the imprint groups are exposed to the water phase. When reactive monomers are allowed to polymerize in the water phase to form particles, the surface of the particles have cavities that are the mirror image of the imprint group.

Claims16

Dependent claims

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 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.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Molecularly-imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis

Life of this patent

Molecularly-imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16