A Review on Synthetic Receptors for Bioparticle Detection Created by Surface-Imprinting Techniques—From Principles to Applications

Abstract

The strong affinity of biological receptors for their targets has been studied for many years. Noncovalent interactions between these natural recognition elements and their ligands form the basis for a broad range of biosensor applications. Although these sensing platforms are usually appreciably sensitive and selective, certain drawbacks are associated with biological receptors under nonphysiological conditions in terms of temperature, pH, or ionic strength. Therefore, there are considerable efforts to mimic such molecular interactions with robust, synthetic receptors. Molecular imprinting is the best-known technique to obtain antibody mimics by synthesizing a polymer matrix in the presence of a template species, such as molecules or larger aggregates. Extraction of the template results in sterically and functionally adapted binding cavities in or on a porous matrix. Although in principle possible, the detection of larger bioparticles such as proteins, microorganisms, or cells remains challenging when using the classical MIP concept. To tackle inherent difficulties, extending the concept of molecular imprinting toward surface imprinting is a promising approach: Here, binding cavities are formed directly on the surface of a cross-linked polymer layer, thus facilitating the removal of the templates. This article reviews the main surface-imprinting techniques and focuses on the implementation of surface-imprinted polymers (SIPs) into various biomimetic sensors and related applications. In addition, we provide an outlook on emerging research on surface imprinting and the development of biomimetic tools for diagnostic purposes.

Studying the Effect of Adhesive Layer Composition on MIP‐Based Thermal Biosensing

“…In recent years, the authors of this article introduced a novel sensing technique based on analyzing thermal transport over a liquid interface. This low‐cost and fast readout method, coined the heat‐transfer method (HTM) has proven to be particularly useful in combination with synthetic receptors . Traditionally, aluminum chips are coated with a polymeric layer as illustrated in Figure .…”

Biomimetic Bacterial Identification Platform Based on Thermal Transport Analysis Through Surface Imprinted Polymers: From Proof of Principle to Proof of Application

“…In terms of detecting macromolecular entities such as bacteria, surface‐imprinted polymers (SIPs) have shown considerable promise as effective biomimetic receptors. The microcontact imprinting technique, in which templates are stamped into a pre‐cured polymer layer, has proven to be a particularly elegant method for creating highly stable, selective SIP layers . After cross‐linking of the polymer layer upon stamping and removal of the templates, microcavities are created on the surface of the receptor layers that display a high degree of morphological and functional compatibility to the template organisms, allowing them so selectively rebind to the layer.…”

“…The microcontact imprinting technique, in which templates are stamped into a pre-cured polymer layer, has proven to be a particularly elegant method for creating highly stable, selective SIP layers. [18] After cross-linking of the polymer layer upon stamping and removal of the templates, microcavities are created on the surface of the receptor layers that display a high degree of morphological and functional compatibility to the template organisms, allowing them so selectively rebind to the layer. In this way, SIPs have been demonstrated to be excellent synthetic receptors for application in biomimetic sensor platforms for the detection of microorganisms such as yeasts or bacteria.…”

Selective Binding of Inhibitor‐Assisted Surface‐Imprinted Core/Shell Microbeads in Protein Mixtures

“…In recent years, the development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for selective binding of biomolecules has evolved into an emerging research area . The technique of molecularly imprinted polymers entails the complexation of a template molecule via either non‐covalent or covalent interactions with a functional monomer in a suitable solvent.…”