Water-soluble molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (MINPs) with tailored, functionalized, modifiable binding pockets

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Molecular Recognition

Background:

• Designing receptors with precise binding sites is crucial for chemical and biological applications.
• Molecular imprinting is a technique used to create synthetic receptors with tailored recognition properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct water-soluble molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (MINPs) with functionalized hydrophobic binding pockets.
• To characterize the binding capabilities and selectivity of these MINPs for amine- and acid-functionalized guests.
• To explore the potential for further modification of the binding sites.

Main Methods:

• Utilized covalent imprinting of a photocleavable template within surface-core doubly cross-linked micelles.
• Synthesized water-soluble MINPs featuring carboxylic acid-containing hydrophobic pockets.
• Evaluated guest binding affinity and selectivity across various pH conditions.

Main Results:

• Successfully created MINPs with functionalized hydrophobic pockets capable of binding amine- and acid-functionalized guests.
• Demonstrated highly selective binding of guests, even among structurally similar compounds.
• Determined an average of one binding site per nanoparticle.
• Showcased the ability to modulate binding properties through further covalent modification.

Conclusions:

• Developed a method for creating functionalized MINPs with specific, tunable binding sites.
• These MINPs exhibit high selectivity, making them promising for molecular recognition applications.
• The platform allows for further chemical modification to optimize receptor performance.