Surface-modified polystyrene beads as photografting imprinted polymer matrix for chromatographic separation of proteins

A new and facile fabricating method for lysozyme molecularly imprinted polymer beads (lysozyme-MIP beads) in aqueous media was presented. Mesoporous chloromethylated polystyrene beads (MCP beads) containing dithiocarbamate iniferter (initiator transfer agent terminator) were used as supports for the grafting of lysozyme imprinted copolymers with acrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide through surface initiated living-radical polymerization (SIP). After the polymerization, a layer of lysozyme-MIP was formed on the MCP beads. The SIP allowed an efficient control of the grafting process and suppressed solution propagation. Therefore, the obtained lysozyme-MIP beads had a large quantity of well-distributed pores on the surface without any visible gel formation in solution and were more advantageous comparing with traditional MIPs which were prepared by traditionally initiated radical polymerization. The obtained composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, nitrogen sorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Chromatographic behaviors of the column packed with lysozyme-MIP beads exhibited ability in separating lysozyme from competitive protein (bovine hemoglobin, bovine serum albumin, ovalbumin or cytochrome c) in aqueous mobile phase.