Core-shell molecularly imprinted particles

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been utilized as recognition elements for a wide range of analytes due to their high stability and remarkable mechanical properties. However, the traditional MIPs suffered some limitations for the practical applications. To broaden the application scope, multifunctional core-shell MIPs (CS-MIPs) have attracted increasing attentions in various fields such as separation, sensing and imaging. This review mainly discusses the recent developments of CS-MIPs with a non imprinted core (Core@MIP particles) and CS-MIPs with a non-imprinted shell (MIP@Shell particles). In addition, other novel miscellaneous CS-MIPs with a hollow-core, a semi-shell, or an empty-shell are summarized. The challenges and prospects of the CS-MIPs are also presented to identify research gaps and prospective trends in design and applications of multifunctional CS-MIPs in analytical science. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.