A Versatile Fiber-Optic Fluorescence Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Microstructures Polymerized in Situ

摘要

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made biomimetic materials that are capable of specific recognition towards an analyte. They are synthesized by co-polymerizing functional and cross-linking monomers in the presence of a molecular template. Subsequent removal of the template leaves complementary binding sites with affinities and specilicities comparable to those of natural receptors. Tieir molecular recognition properties, combined with their high stability, robustness, and easy synthesis, make them extremely attractive as sensing materials. Therefore they ,ire considered as interesting alternatives to biological recognition elements in biosensors. In this context, MIPs have been widely applied to optical sensing, for example, with fluorescence detection.