Sorbent-Based Microextraction Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

Abstract

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are materials designed to establish specific interactions with target analytes or groups of analytes that are structurally similar. Such specificity has driven their use in the Analytical Chemistry field as chiral stationary phases, the construction of sensors, as well as sorbents in different separation techniques. In particular, their first use as selective sorbents took place in the 90s for solid-phase extraction (SPE), and since then, the application of MIPs has been a very popular option in many sorbent-based sample preparation procedures. In the last years, they have also been applied in different sorbent-based microextraction techniques (i.e., dispersive and magnetic SPE, solid-phase microextraction, and stir bar sorptive extraction, among others). This chapter provides a general description of the application of MIPs in sample preparation approaches, particularly those based on microextraction techniques, since they represent the most active and current trends in sample preparation.