title: Aqueous compatible polymers in bionanotechnology.
abstract: Core-shell molecularly imprinted particles (CS-MIPs) have been synthesised using the technique of emulsion polymerisation with caffeine and theophylline being used in the surface template polymerisation with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and oleylphenyl hydrogen phosphate. A radiolabelling study with caffeine-8-14C showed that the template was completely located at the particle surface during polymerisation. Caffeine could be specifically bound to a caffeine-imprinted CS-MIP to give a biphasic Scatchard binding curve, whereas the binding profile to a theophylline-imprinted CS-MIP was monophasic. The nanoparticles have the potential to be used in the molecular recognition of small molecules in a complex biological matrix. Water soluble highly-branched imidazole end-chain functionalised polymers of nanodimensions have also been synthesised via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerisation. The polymers have lower critical solution temperatures which occur at sub-ambient temperatures and have proven useful in the affinity precipitation of proteins which are particularly temperature sensitive, e.g. the histidine-tagged protein fragment BRCA1. An overview of both of these areas of research is described outlining the diversity of these aqueous compatible polymers in molecular recognition processes at the nanoscale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry (Polymer Centre), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S3 7HF, UK. s.r.carter@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rimmer
mesh_terms: D001704:Biopolymers / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D011108:Polymers; D014867:Water