Molecular imprinting technology (MIT) is an interdisciplinary approach which has been recently developed based on the advantages of macromolecular synthesis, molecular design, molecular recognition and biological simulation and bioengineering. The molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) obtained by MIT process have good affinity, high selectivity and excellent stability. TiO₂ and its nanocomposites have been widely used in photocatalysis, photoelectric conversion and other fields due to their stable chemical properties and low chemical toxicity. MIPs based on TiO₂ and its nanocomposites exhibit enhanced stability and photocatalytic activity, good selectivity, high accumulation and degradation properties towards low concentrations of pollutants. Furthermore, the application of TiO₂ and its composite as the imprinting support could reduce the nonspecific adsorption, increase the relative adsorption capacity and accelerate the mass transfer rate. They have obtained a strong position in material science and technology and showed broad applications. This article provides a short review of the developments of MIPs based on TiO₂ and its nanocomposites in recent two decades. Special attention is paid to their synthesis processes including different surface imprinting, sol-gel polymerization and liquid deposition process. Their applications in photocatalytic degradation and sensor construction areas have also been summarized. The prospects for their future development are also proposed.
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers based on titanium dioxide and its nanocomposites
2.1 Surface molecular imprinting techniques
2.2 Sol-gel polymerization
2.3 Liquid deposition method
3 Application of molecularly imprinted polymers based on titanium dioxide and its nanocomposites
3.1 Photocatalytic degradation
3.2 Sensors
3.3 Other fields
4 Conclusion and outlook