Description
Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) are a particular class of polymeric materials designed to be selective for detecting a specifi c analyte. The main concept behind them is to allow the monomers to arrange around a template thanks to affi ne functional groups. Once the curing step is complete, the template can be removed and rebound as analyte [1]. Vast literature has been produced on MIP applications in analytical chemistry; however, direct characterization of the MIP selective region (also known as cavity) is very challenging. Indeed, structural models of cavities mostly rely on theoretical calculations and affi nity tests. Herein, we aim at developing a method to observe the cavities or selective regions directly. The chosen approach utilizes a peculiar property of noble metals nanomaterials with Raman spectroscopy. In fact, shining a laser with the same wavelength as the one of plasmons’ oscillation onto noble metal nanostructures triggers a resonance effect. This phenomenon is known as localized surface plasmon resonance Raman (LSPR-Raman) and results in an enhancement of the Raman signal originated in the nearest surrounding of the nanomaterial [2, 3]. Therefore, we chose to use gold nanostars (AuNSts) to form a self-assembled monolayer to lay on top of a styrene-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate MIP layer and then perform Raman measurement to highlight the surface features of the described substrate [4]. This talk will give an overview of the steps we covered so far to develop a characterization method for detailed analysis of MIPs.| Period | 25 Feb 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Joint DoSChem Retreat – 2026 |
| Event type | Seminar/Workshop |
| Location | Rust, AustriaShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | National |