H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Dr. Muhammad Imran Malik
H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
The increased complexity of sample matrices resulted in the requirement of specific and sensitive molecular recognition systems. Although molecular imprinting is an old idea, its potential as molecular recognition tool in analytical chemistry has been revived in recent times. This review intended to comprehensively discuss and evaluate the recent progress in the applications of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in analytical chemistry. A concise introduction for new readers in the field is followed by the comprehensive critical review of these developments in MIP technology and their applications in analytical chemistry. This review is divided into three sections namely, extraction, sensors and chromatography. The three sections are further separated into several sub-sections. The applications related to compound extraction are subdivided into extraction of toxins and bioactive compound extraction. MIPs as sensors are subdivided into luminescence probes, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and electrochemical sensors. Finally, the MIP applications as stationary phase for chromatography are elaborated. This section is subdivided into HPLC and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The significant aspects of applications of the molecular imprinting polymers in analytical chemistry are evaluated focusing majorly on literature appeared in last five years.
1 March 2020 in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Solar energy is free from noise and environmental pollution. It could be used to replace non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, which are in limited supply and have negative environmental impacts. The first generation of solar cells was made from crystalline silicon. They were relatively efficient, however very expensive because they require a lot of energy to purify the silicon. Nowadays, the production of solar cells has been improved since the first generation (thin-film solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells, and organic solar cells). In this work, the development of solar cells was discussed. The advantages, limitations, challenges, and future trends of these solar cells were also reported. Lastly, this article emphasized the various practices to promote solar energy and highlighted the power conversion efficiency of the fabricated devices.
The regioregularity and band gap of P3HT, an organic solar cell donor polymer, were improved. Oxidative coupling enhanced regioregularity, voltammetric p-doping broadened the optical absorption band and a molar mass increase reduced the band gap.