Molecularly
imprinted polymers are synthetic receptors for a targeted
molecule. As such, they are analogues of the natural antibody–antigen
systems. In this review, after a recounting of the early history of
the general field, we specifically focus on the application of these
polymers as sensors. In these applications, the polymers are paired
with a reporting system, which may be electrical, electrochemical,
optical, or gravimetric. The presence of the targeted molecule effects
a change in the reporting agent, and a calibrated quantity of the
target is recorded. In this review, we describe the imprinted polymer
production processes, the techniques used for reporting, and the applications
of the reported sensors. A brief survey of recent applications to
gas-phase sensing is included, but the focus is primarily on the development
of sensors for targets in solution. Included among the applications
are those designed to detect toxic chemicals, toxins in foods, drugs,
explosives, and pathogens. The application of computational chemistry
to the development of new imprinted polymers is included as is a brief
assessment of future developments.