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. 2020 Jul 17;25(14):3256. doi: 10.3390/molecules25143256

Table 2.

Advantages and disadvantages of different polymerisation technique in preparation of molecularly imprinted microspheres.

Polymerisation Technique Advantages Diadvantages
Precipitation Polymerisation

  • Easy to operate.

  • Requires no stabiliser or surfactant.

  • Good control of particle sizes and morphology.

  • Commonly using high amount of solvent.1

  • Low control of polymerisation rate.

  • Commonly do not possess ‘living’ groups on the polymer surface.
Controlled/‘living’ radical precipitation polymerisation (CRPP) 2

  • Requires no stabiliser or surfactant.

  • High control of polymerisation rate, composition, and molecular weight.

  • Able to do advanced surface modification because the presents of ‘living’ groups on the polymer surface.

  • Can performed under mild reaction conditions
Atom Transfer Radical Precipitation Polymerisation (ATRPP)

  • Wide scope of monomer, initiator and catalyst utilization.

  • The obtained MIMs are generally end-capped with a reactive halogen groups.

  • Relatively low-cost.

  • May has limited application due to the use of large amounts of acidic functional monomers or templates that could possibly deactivate the metal catalyst
Iniferter-induced ‘Living’ Radical Precipitation Polymerisation (ILRPP)

  • Compatible with many molecular imprinting systems

  • The obtained MIMs are generally end-capped with an iniferter groups.

  • Less controlled compared to ATRPP and RAFTPP
Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Precipitation Polymerisation (RAFTPP)

  • Wide scope of monomers (nearly all monomers)

  • The obtained MIMs are generally end-capped with a dithioester groups.

  • Well suited for the preparation of high molecular weight polymers.

  • The presence of dithioester groups makes the obtained MIMs coloured dan may have some odours for low molar mass species that might require radical chemistry for removal and displacement.

  • The presence of a continuously generated new short chains which terminate faster than the longer chains.
Pickering Emulsion

  • The addition of BPA can produce multi-hollow microsphere

  • Require use of surfactants

  • Have more possibility to coalescence between the droplets

  • Concentrations of solid phase must be considered to avoid coalescence
Suspension Polymerisation

  • Dispersing agent must be inert with the template, monomer, crosslinker and initiator

  • Required use of special dispersing phases

  • The template on MIMs in a polar solvent with aqueous suspension polymerisation have weaker covalent interactions with the monomer.

1 Can be overcome using modified precipitation polymerisation (MPP); 2 Applied to ATRPP, ILRPP and RAFTPP.