This article presents a work aiming at thermodynamically and kinetically interpreting the specific sorption and recognition by a molecularly imprinted polymer. Using Boc-L-Phe-OH as a template, the imprinted material was prepared. The result indicates that the prepared polymer can well discriminate the imprint species from its analogue (Boc-D-Phe-OH), so as to adsorb more for the former but less for the latter. Kinetic analysis indicates that this specific sorption, in nature, can be a result of a preferential promotion. The imprint within the polymer causes a larger adsorption rate for the template than for the analogue. Thermodynamic study also implies that the molecular induction from the specific imprint to the template is larger than to the analogue, which thus makes the polymer capable of preferentially alluring the template to bind.

The concept used to realize the modulation of molecular recognition in a molecularly imprinted polymer is presented. Creating a thermal phase transition within the binding framework, the imprinted material was prepared using Boc-phenylalanine as the template and pNIPAM as the sensitive unit. The results indicate that such a transition causes a clear modulation in the recognition behavior of the prepared polymer which depends on the operation temperature. At a relatively low temperature, the prepared polymer acts like a traditionally imprinted one, showing a highly specific recognition for the imprint species. However, the prepared polymer does not present any notable resolution at 40 degrees C. This recognition behavior is comparable to a process that can be switched on and off, thus making modulated recognition feasible.

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This article presents an original work aiming at kinetically surveying the substrate‐selective mechanism from a molecularly imprinted polymer. With Bisphenol A (BPA) as the template, the imprinted polymer was prepared. The result indicates that the imprinted polymer presents a much more complicated sorption toward the template than toward its analogue. The rate constant in the case of the template appears to be a function of coverage degree. There are also significant deviations from the idealized Langmuir model. Related information indicates that these logically can be a result from the induced molecular memory within the binding framework, which makes the polymer capable of selectively adsorbing the imprint species.

This article presents a fully-conceived work aiming at designing a highly selective sorbent by molecular imprinting. Based on the template-monomer strategy, the imprinted polymer was prepared by using bisphenol A (BPA) dimethacrylate as the polymerisable monomer. The binding framework was generated by releasing BPA from the polymer. Adsorption tests indicated that the prepared polymer can discriminate BPA well from its analogue dihydroxybenzophenone, so as to adsorb more of the former and less of the latter. Theoretical simulation additionally shows that adsorption by this polymer fits the Freundlich and Temkin models well, but not the Langmuir model. Related information indicates that these observations can be a result of induced molecular memory from the imprint.