In the last 10 years, we have witnessed an extensive development of instrumental techniques in analytical methods for determination of various molecules and ions at very low concentrations. Nevertheless, the presence of interfering components of complex samples hampered the applicability of new analytical strategies. Thus, additional sample pre-treatment steps were proposed to overcome the problem. Solid sorbents were used for clean-up samples but insufficient selectivity of commercial materials limited their utility. Here, the application of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) or ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) in the separation processes have recently attracted attention due to their many advantages, such as high selectivity, robustness, and low costs of the fabrication process. Bulk or monoliths, microspheres and core-shell materials, magnetically susceptible and stir-bar imprinted materials are applicable to different modes of solid-phase extraction to determine target analytes and ions in a very complex environment such as blood, urine, soil, or food. The capability to perform a specific separation of enantiomers is a substantial advantage in clinical analysis. The ion-imprinted sorbents gained interest in trace analysis of pollutants in environmental samples. In this review, the current synthetic approaches for the preparation of MIPs and IIPs are comprehensively discussed together with a detailed characterization of respective materials. Furthermore, the use of sorbents in environmental, food, and biomedical analyses will be emphasized to point out current limits and highlight the future prospects for further development in the field.

An essential survey of semiconductor nanocrystal–polymer hybrid nanomaterials and their application in molecular imprinting is presented.

A dopamine-imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared in aqueous methanolsolution at 60^oC by free-radical cross-linking polymerization of methacrylic acid in thepresence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker and dopamine hydrochlorideas the template molecule. Its ability to isolate dopamine was evaluated as the basis of asolid phase extraction procedure and compared with that of a non-imprinted polymer(NIP). The binding of dopamine was 84.1% and 29.1% for MIP and NIP, respectively.Various reported post-polymerization treatments to reduce template bleeding wereexamined. In our case the lowest bleeding was achieved after applying a combinedprocedure: continuous extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus (CE), followed by microwave-assisted extraction (ME) to a level of 0.061 μg/mL. A simplified model of the template-monomer complexes allowed rationalization of monomer choice based on the heats ofcomplex formation at a PM3 level of theory.