Adaptation of the molecular imprinted polymers towards polar environment Original Research Article

A new simple method for the post-polymerisation treatment of molecularly imprinted polymers was proposed. A layer of mineral oil was deposited onto the surface of the polymer in order to create a hydrophobic environment in the binding sites and to improve the recognition properties of the polymer in polar solvents. The testing of polymers performed in acetonitrile showed that the modified polymers possessed significantly increased selectivity as compared with non-treated ones. The three-fold improvement of recognition of the template (cocaine) was achieved; the same time, for non-specific molecule (morphine) the improvement was only 1.3 times. The investigation of the stability of mineral oil coating on the polymer surface suggested that the effect produced is stable over a long period of time. This approach could be used to broaden the range of experimental conditions where molecularly imprinted polymers can perform successfully.