Molecularly imprinted polymers in electrochemical sensing—A step closer to achieving technology readiness

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are polymeric materials that contain the imprint of a target molecule. They are generated by growing a polymer around a target, followed by its extraction. This creates a mold of the imprinted target at a molecular scale that holds great stereochemical and electrostatic affinity for that specific target. MIPs date from the 1960s and have been used mostly for separating or concentrating target molecules. MIPs use in sensing technology was initiated later, opening a wide door toward an enormous range of applications, mostly small molecules, contaminants/drugs, proteins, virus, and bacteria. Their use in electrochemical biosensors is especially relevant because enable producing on-demand sensors, with low cost, high selectivity/sensitivity, and long stability. Today, MIPs are an especially important category of biorecognition elements in electrochemical biosensors that deserve being reviewed about their synthesis and uses, along with the specific constraints limiting their wide application in a commercial basis.