Preparation of Ribonuclease A surface-imprinted nanoparticles with miniemulsion polymerization for protein recognition in aqueous media

Abstract

Molecularly imprinted polymers represent a new class of materials possessing high selectivity and affinity for the target molecules, offering an array of possible applications in the field of analytical chemistry and separation. In this study, miniemulsion polymerization had been employed to prepare regularly shaped surface-imprinted nanoparticles that displayed affinity towards their template Ribonuclease A in an aqueous media. FESEM, BET and rebinding tests were carried out on the product nanoparticles for morphological and selectivity studies. The nanoparticles exhibited superior loading and selectivity in water, providing a promising material for bioseparation in solid-phase extraction and chromatography.