Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanospheres with Hydrophilic Shells for Efficient Molecular Recognition of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Aqueous Solution
Peijian Sun,
Yipeng Wang,
Song Yang,
Xuehui Sun,
Bin Peng,
Lining Pan,
Yunzhen Jia,
Xiaobing Zhang,
Cong Nie
Affiliations
Peijian Sun
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Yipeng Wang
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Song Yang
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Xuehui Sun
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Bin Peng
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Lining Pan
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Yunzhen Jia
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Xiaobing Zhang
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Cong Nie
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Chemistry, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC (China National Tobacco Corporation), No. 2 Fengyang Street, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Heterocyclic aromatic amine molecularly imprinted polymer nanospheres with surface-bound dithioester groups (haa-MIP) were firstly synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) precipitation polymerization. Then, a series of core-shell structural heterocyclic aromatic amine molecularly imprinted polymer nanospheres with hydrophilic shells (MIP-HSs) were subsequently prepared by grafting the hydrophilic shells on the surface of haa-MIP via on-particle RAFT polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), itaconic acid (IA), and diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA). The haa-MIP nanospheres showed high affinity and specific recognition toward harmine and its structural analogs in organic solution of acetonitrile, but lost the specific binding ability in aqueous solution. However, after the grafting of the hydrophilic shells on the haa-MIP particles, the surface hydrophilicity and water dispersion stability of the polymer particles of MIP-HSs greatly improved. The binding of harmine by MIP-HSs with hydrophilic shells in aqueous solutions is about two times higher than that of NIP-HSs, showing an efficient molecular recognition of heterocyclic aromatic amines in aqueous solution. The effect of hydrophilic shell structure on the molecular recognition property of MIP-HSs was further compared. MIP-PIA with carboxyl groups containing hydrophilic shells showed the highest selective molecular recognition ability to heterocyclic aromatic amines in aqueous solution.
