MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED HYDROGELS FROM COLLOIDAL CRYSTALS FOR THE DETECTION OF PROGESTERONE

NATALIA CASIS; CARLOS BUSATTO; M. MARTA FIDALGO; SERGE RAVAINE; DIANA ESTENOZ

POLYMER INTERNATIONAL

JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD

Lugar: LOndres; Año: 2014

0959-8103

The synthesis of new nanoporous material based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) is investigated. The novel procedure combines the non-covalent imprinting method with the colloidal crystal template technique to produce membranes with pre-specified morphology capable of selectively recognize progesterone. The colloidal crystals made of silica particles were obtained by Langmuir-Blodgett and self-assembly techniques, and exhibited a considerable control of the film thickness. Hydrogels films were prepared by copolymerization of acrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of 2,2´-azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The polymerization took place in the interspaces of the colloidal crystal and after the reaction was finished the silica particles were etched with hydrofluoric acid to produce a 3D ordered structure. The nanocavities derived from progesterone, were distributed within the walls of the internal structure of the films. The equilibrium swelling properties of the MIPs were studied as a function of crosslinking degree and pH. The pore morphology of the film was analyzed by SEM. The MIPs characterizations were accomplished by several techniques, e.g.: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and evaluation of their sensing and selective properties.