title: Membranes for specific adsorption: immobilizing molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres using electrospun nanofibers.
abstract: Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres were immobilized within a polymer nanofiber membrane by electrospinning. Such membranes simplify the handling of functional microspheres and provide specific recognition capabilities for solid-phase extraction and filtration applications. In this study, microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization of methacrylic acid and divinylbenzene as a cross-linker with the target molecule (-)-cinchonidine and then, they were electrospun into a non-woven polyacrylonitrile nanofiber membrane. The composite membrane showed specific affinity for (-)-cinchonidine which was attributed to the functional microspheres as confirmed by Raman microscopy. The target molecule capturing capacity of the composite membrane was 5 mg/g or 25 mg/g immobilized functional microsphere. No difference in target affinity was observed between the immobilized microspheres and the free microspheres. These results reveal that electrospun composite membranes are a feasible approach to immobilizing functional microspheres.
authors.affiliation: Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, Institute of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Einsiedlerstrasse 31, 8820 Wädenswil.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Büttiker
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ebert
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hinderling
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adlhart
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002930:Cinchona Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry; D004563:Electrochemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008863:Microspheres; D054802:Molecular Imprinting; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014753:Vinyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002930:Cinchona Alkaloids; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011108:Polymers; D014753:Vinyl Compounds; C041622:cinchonidine; C004985:divinyl benzene