Glucose Detection Using Molecularly Imprinted Mesoporous Organosilica

Abstract

Since the first developments in Molecular Imprints, the general approach is to crosslink a polymeric network around a target molecule, which serves as a template. After removing the target imprint, the remaining polymer keeps the shape and functional groups for rebinding with the target molecule. Therefore, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) are also known as artificial antibodies.In the context of sensing applications, the advantages of using MIPs over natural antibodies range from higher stability at different measuring conditions (eg. solvents, pH, etc.) to longer shelf-life. However, the hydrophobic nature of polymers might play a role in the sensitivity of measurements performed in aqueous solvents, for example to detect contaminants in food samples.To tackle this problem, we use hydrophilic mesoporous organosilica polymers to detect glucose in real time. Sensitivity and selectivity tests were performed using the developed organosilica MIP and the corresponding Non-Imprinted Polymer (NIP). Rebinding isotherms were calculated using uv-vis spectroscopy, Impedance and Heat-transfer method (HTM).