Preparation of magnetic epitope imprinted polymer microspheres using cyclodextrin-based ionic liquids as functional monomer for highly selective and effective enrichment of cytochrome c

Epitope molecularly imprinted polymers (EMIPs) were synthesized using a novel cyclodextrin-based ionic liquid as functional monomer for specific recognition of cytochrome c (Cyt c) in aqueous solution via the combination of epitope and surface imprinting approach. Herein, the surface-exposed C-terminus of Cyt c (residues 96-104, AYLKKATNE) was selected as the template. Results reveal that the charged monomer cyclodextrins (CDs), namely mono-6A-deoxy-6-(1-vinylimidazolium)-β-cyclodextrin tosylate, could confer EMIPs with superior adsorption (67.6 mg g−1) and excellent recognition property (4.54) toward Cyt c due to its multiple binding sites with template such as hydrogen bonding, π-π effect, electrostatic, hydrophobic as well as steric effects. Moreover, the magnetic property of EMIPs has endowed the whole separation process with great convenience and efficiency, which demonstrated their potential application for large-scale separation and recognition.