ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

In-situ polymerized molecularly imprinted polymeric thin films used as sensing layers in surface plasmon resonance sensors: Mini-review focused on 2010–2011

Sandrine Lépinay, Khémara Kham, Marie-Claude Millot, and Benjamin Carbonnier

East Paris Institute of Chemistry and Material Science, UMR CNRS 7182 Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of East Paris Créteil Val de Marne, 2-8 Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais, France

E-mail: carbonnier@icmpe.cnrs.fr

Abstract: This review provides a short overview of polymeric thin films incorporating molecular imprints within their 3D macromolecular structure as synthetic recognition elements and prepared by in situ polymerization for surface plasmon resonance application. This review starts with a brief reminder of the principle of surface plasmon resonance detection. The second section is focused on molecularly imprinted materials. Bulk and thin film polymer formats can be obtained by free radical polymerization, where the functional monomer interacts specifically with the template and the cross-linker controls the rigidity of the imprinted cavities. Grafting polymerization is presented as a method of choice for covalent attachment of ultra-thin molecularly imprinted films on a surface plasmon resonance metallic substrate. Examples of electropolymerized thin films are also provided. In the rest of this contribution, surface plasmon resonance applications of molecularly imprinted polymers reported mainly over the last two years are presented with respect to the preparation mode. Also, applications of gold nanoparticle/molecularly imprinted polymer composites for the design of surface plasmon resonance-based sensors with enhanced sensitivity due to the phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonance induced by the presence of gold nanoparticles are summarized.

Keywords: molecularly imprinted films – surface plasmon resonance

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-012-0134-6

Chemical Papers 66 (5) 340–351 (2012)