Materials that can mimic the molecular recognition-based functions found in biology are a significant goal for science and technology. Molecular imprinting is a technology that addresses this challenge by providing polymeric materials with antibody-like recognition characteristics. Recently, significant progress has been achieved in solving many of the practical problems traditionally associated with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), such as difficulties with imprinting of proteins, poor compatibility with aqueous environments, template leakage, and the presence of heterogeneous populations of binding sites in the polymers that contribute to high levels of non-specific binding. This success is closely related to the technology-driven shift in MIP research from traditional bulk polymer formats into the nanomaterial domain. The aim of this article is to throw light on recent developments in this field and to present a critical discussion of the current state of molecular imprinting and its potential in real world applications.

Various morphologies of CuO nanostructures (oval, cluster, leaves, small rod, porus nanosheets) have been synthesized by novel simple method using microwave radiation. The produced CuO nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis technique (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), surface area analyzer (BET) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The ability of CuO nanostructures as adsorbent was investigated for adsorptive removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Various physico–chemical parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, and equilibrium contact time were studied. The optimum solution pH for adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was found to be 6.5 and the optimum contact time was found to be 4 h. The adsorption isotherms were obtained using concentrations of the metal ions ranging from 100 to 300 mg/l. The adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics, as well as Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The maximum capacity of oval, cluster, leaves, small rod and porus nanosheets CuO nanostructures for Pb2+ are 125, 116, 117, 120 and 115 mg/g. This study revealed that CuO nano structures was an effective adsorbent for removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions