Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPS) for the selective removal of inorganic contaminants from liquids

• US 7,476,316 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MIP Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MIP Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Southard, Glen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry; Chester T
• Application Number:
  US11/520,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20070090058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 210/502.1, 210/510.1, 564/288, 564/384
• US Class Current: 210/502.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 1/00 Evaporating evaporation in general, e.g. of liquids for gas phase reactions B01B1/005 ; removal of incrustation B08B; preparation of starch C08B30/00; sugar industry C13; prevention of incrustation C23F; drying solid materials or objects by evaporating liquids therefrom F26
• 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: C02F 1/285 using synthetic organic sorbents

Abstract

A method of creating a cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead that can bind inorganic target compounds is disclosed and described. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead can be formed by complexing a target compound with a cationic ligand, polymerizing the cationic ligands to form the bead, and then extracting the target compound from the bead. The cationic ligand complex can have an octanol water partition coefficient of about 1 to about 10. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead can have a porous structure containing a plurality of complexing cavities for selectively bind specific target compounds for removal from potable water, mine effluent, industrial effluent, or other fluids.

Claims

1. A cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead comprising a porous structure having a plurality of complexing cavities therein, wherein the complexing cavities contain cationic ligands spatially oriented for binding a specific inorganic target compound, and when said bead contains the specific target compound, a target cationic ligand complex is formed having an octanol water partition coefficient with an absolute value of about 1 to about 10.

2. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead of claim 1, wherein the bead contains different complexing cavities for binding different target compounds.

3. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead of claim 1, wherein the cationic ligand is selected from the group consisting of cationic oxygen containing heterocyclics, cationic nitrogen containing heterocyclics, cationic sulfur containing heterocyclics, cationic phosphorous containing heterocyclics, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, acylinium salts, metallocenium salts, amidinium salts, imminium salts, trityl salts, and mixtures thereof.

4. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead of claim 1, wherein the target compound is arsenate, arsenite, nitrate, nitrite, cyanide, dicyanoaurate, or dicyanoargentate.

5. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead of claim 1, wherein the bead has a diameter of about 50 microns to 1.5 mm.

6. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead of claim 1, wherein the octanol water partition coefficient has an absolute value from about 1.0 to about 3.0.

7. The cationic molecularly imprinted polymer bead of claim 1, wherein the bead is cross-linked.