Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Catalysts: An Emerging New Trend in the Selective Catalysis Field?

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are often referred to as "plastic antibodies" and promoted as alternatives to antibodies in selective recognition. However, MIPs can also catalyze chemical reactions and, thus, mimic the operation of enzymes. The advantages of MIPs include stability, robustness, and a lower synthesis cost compared with their biological counterparts. Moreover, MIPs can be targeted for those reactions for which the corresponding enzymes are not available. The application of MIPs in the catalysis field requires careful design of molecular cavities. Simple approaches to molecular imprinting are not sufficiently precise. Therefore, alternative, advanced approaches, including covalent imprinting, metal-coordinating monomers, and postimprinting modification, have been employed in the past five years. They resulted in sufficient selectivity and catalytic efficiency of molecular cavities. In this review, various methodologies for designing molecular cavities in MIPs to enhance selectivity and performance in catalysis are discussed and critically reviewed.