Molecular imprinting for selective chemical sensing of hazardous compounds and drugs of abuse

Environmental and health safety requires thorough determination of hazardous compounds and drugs of abuse. In determinations of these analytes, traditional instrumental analytical techniques often suffer from tedious assay procedures. Biosensors are simpler to construct and faster in use, so they can better meet the analytical demands in determination of these biohazards. However, their stability and reproducibility when operating under harsh conditions are poor, so artificial recognition units have become attractive as replacements for natural receptors in sensing applications. Molecular imprinting is one of the most powerful tools for preparing materials that can bind analytes reversibly and selectively in the presence of their interferents. This review critically evaluates the development of chemical sensing of biohazards and drugs of abuse using the molecular-imprinting approach to recognition in combination with different ways of analytical signal transduction. We compile analytical parameters of the molecularly-imprinted receptors, identify difficulties in the determinations encountered and highlight proposed solutions to problems. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.