Synthesis and photoluminescence study of molecularly imprinted polymers appended onto CdSe/ZnS core-shells

The Photoluminescence of quantum dots have been found to be a useful tool for the detection of small to medium sized analyte molecules in a host-guest environment. By the incorporation of quantum dots into molecularly imprinted polymers, which can offer shape and selectivity, the former can respond by quenching the photoluminescence emission upon template binding. In this work host polymers were synthesized and cased into thin films using functional monomers such as methacrylic acid (MAA), CdSe/ZnS core-shell derivatized with 4-vinyl pyridine and ethylene glycol dimethacrylic acid (EGDMA) as a cross-linker. The intensity of photoluminescence emission is detected upon analyte binding.