Molecularly Imprinted Polymers As the Epitome of Excellence in Multiple Fields

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are promising receptors for a wide range of targeted molecules. In recent years, the construction of low molecular weight materials became possible based on the idea of molecular imprinting. The recent applications of MIPs are discussed with a brief computational chemistry to illustrate the design of MIPs. The different routes for the covalent and non-covalent imprinting in MIPs are highlighted in this review. The incorporation of optical, thermo-responsive, magnetic, and photocatalytic materials facilitated the development of multifunctional hybrid molecularly imprinted materials. MIPs have enormous beneficial aspects like high selectivity and specificity toward the targeted molecules. They are easy to synthesize, cost-effective, and reliable at different conditions like pH, temperature, and pressure. Additionally, the changeable properties of MIPs could be achieved by the different combinations of the templates, functional monomers, and crosslinkers. Based on these features, this review summarizes the fundamental concepts, recent advances, and applications of MIPs in multiple fields like environmental restoration, wastewater treatments, food analysis, chemical/biological sensing, targeted drug delivery, proteins recognition/purification, and hormone detoxification. The stated applications can be performed using MIPs as sorbents, stationary phases, and catalysts. Furthermore, the review features prospects and suggestions for substantial benefits from MIPs.