A molecularly imprinted polymer-coated nanocomposite of magnetic nanoparticles for estrone recognition

In this study, we synthesized Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated estrone-imprinted polymer with controlled size using a semi-covalent imprinting strategy. In this protocol, the estrone–silica monomer complex (EstSi) was synthesized by the reaction 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl isocyanate with estrone, where the template was linked to the silica coating on the iron oxide core via a thermally reversible bond. The removal of the template by a simple thermal reaction produced specific estrone recognition sites on the surface of silica shell.The resulting estrone-imprinted polymer coating Fe3O4 magnetic hybrid nanoparticles exhibit a much higher specific recognition and saturation magnetization. The hybrid nanoparticles have been used for biochemical separation of estrone.