Molecular imprinting of small particles, and production of small particles from solid state reactants

• US 7,442,754 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Original Assignee: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Inventors: Wnek, Gary, Pestov, Dmitry, Tepper, Gary, Levit, Natalia
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, LING SIU
• Application Number:
  US10/682,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20080242820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 526/328, 526/318, 526/310, 521/61, 521/63
• US Class Current: 526/328
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/5089 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2/04 in a gaseous medium if combined with suspending the material in a gas, e.g. fluidised beds B01J2/16
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/26 Synthetic macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/268 Polymers created by use of a template, e.g. molecularly imprinted polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/281 Sorbents specially adapted for preparative, analytical or investigative chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/285 based on polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3057 Use of a templating or imprinting material molecularly imprinted polymers B01J20/268; filling pores of a substrate or matrix followed by the removal of the substrate or matrix
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2220/54 Sorbents specially adapted for analytical or investigative chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 Coated

Abstract

Small particles of polymeric material are produced by expansion of a mixture of monomers and a propellant. The size and shape of the particles can be precisely tailored by materials selection and expansion conditions. Particles of 10 nanometers to 100 microns can be produced. If monomers exhibiting solid state reactivity are utilized, the particles thus formed can be polymerized at any time after formation. The particles produced by this method can be molecularly imprinted by incorporating a template into the particle prior to fully curing the particle, in a manner which allows selective extraction of the template from the cured particle after formation without deformation of the imprint site. A two step polymerization process allows the particles to be deposited on and adhered to a wide variety of substrates without additional agents. The molecularly imprinted particles can be used in a wide variety of applications including the selective binding of analyte from a sample, where the analyte is the same as the template or is of substantially the same size and has a similar arrangement of chemical functional groups. Imprinted molecularly imprinted particles can be used for targeted delivery of agents in biological applications. Non-imprinted particles formed by the expansion technique using monomers of solid state reactivity can be used in optical data storage systems.

Claims

1. Polymeric particles, which are molecularly imprinted, produced by a process comprising the steps of:

expanding through a nozzle or an orifice a mixture containing a propellant in liquid form, monomers, and a template which does not covalently bond to said monomers to form particles containing said monomers in the presence of said template and to release said propellant from said mixture in the form of a gas;

polymerizing said monomers in said particles in the presence of said template to form composite particles having polymer and template, wherein said template is not covalently bound to said polymer; and

extracting said template from said composite particles without distorting a morphology of said composite particles to provide polymerized particles imprinted by said template with a size and arrangement of chemical functional groups complementary to said template

wherein said polymerized particles imprinted by said template are 1 micron or less in size.

2. The polymeric particles of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing step is performed by exposing said particles to radiant energy while said particles are in flight in a direction away from said nozzle or orifice.

3. The polymeric particles of claim 1 wherein said template is selected from the group consisting of proteins and nucleic acids.

4. The polymeric particles of claim 1 wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of diolefinic compounds.