Membranes for specific adsorption: immobilizing molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres using electrospun nanofibers

Chimia (Aarau). 2011;65(3):182-6. doi: 10.2533/chimia.2011.182.

Abstract

Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres were immobilized within a polymer nanofiber membrane by electrospinning. Such membranes simplify the handling of functional microspheres and provide specific recognition capabilities for solid-phase extraction and filtration applications. In this study, microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization of methacrylic acid and divinylbenzene as a cross-linker with the target molecule (-)-cinchonidine and then, they were electrospun into a non-woven polyacrylonitrile nanofiber membrane. The composite membrane showed specific affinity for (-)-cinchonidine which was attributed to the functional microspheres as confirmed by Raman microscopy. The target molecule capturing capacity of the composite membrane was 5 mg/g or 25 mg/g immobilized functional microsphere. No difference in target affinity was observed between the immobilized microspheres and the free microspheres. These results reveal that electrospun composite membranes are a feasible approach to immobilizing functional microspheres.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Cinchona Alkaloids / chemistry
  • Electrochemistry*
  • Materials Testing
  • Membranes, Artificial*
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microspheres*
  • Molecular Imprinting
  • Nanofibers / chemistry*
  • Nanofibers / ultrastructure*
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman
  • Vinyl Compounds / chemistry

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Cinchona Alkaloids
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Polymers
  • Vinyl Compounds
  • cinchonidine
  • divinyl benzene