Preparation of core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer via the combination of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and click reaction

In this paper, we demonstrated an efficient and robust route to the preparation of well-defined molecularly imprinted polymer based on reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and click chemistry. The alkyne terminated RAFT chain transfer agent was first synthesized, and then click reaction was used to graft RAFT agent onto the surface of silica particles which was modified by azide. Finally, imprinted thin film was prepared in the presence of 2,4-dichlorophenol as the template. The imprinted beads were demonstrated with a homogeneous polymer films (thickness of about 2.27 nm), and exhibited thermal stability under 255 °C. The as-synthesized product showed obvious molecular imprinting effects towards the template, fast template rebinding kinetics and an appreciable selectivity over structurally related compounds.