Molecularly Imprinted Poly(2-oxazoline) Based on Cross-Linking by Direct Amidation of Methyl Ester Side Chains

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made synthetic materials possessing memory of their molecular templates and have found numerous applications in separation science, drug delivery, and catalysis. Here, we report the development of an MIP based on poly(2-oxazoline)s. The cross-linked imprinted polymer was obtained by reacting a short-chain poly(2-oxazoline) with methyl ester side chains with diethylenetriamine in the presence of indometacin as template. The cross-linker diethylenetriamine simultaneously acted as cross-linker and interacted with the indometacin template. The influence of several parameters on indometacin adsorption such as initial concentration, contact time, and temperature, as well as reusability of the MIPs and kinetics of indometacin release, have been investigated. The maximum amount of indometacin bonded reached 293 mg g(-1) for the imprinted polymer versus 25 mg g(-1) for the nonimprinted polymer. This result clearly indicates that molecularly imprinted poly(2-oxazoline)s possess a large potential for developing new MIPs due to their high imprinting properties.