Molecular recognition and molecular encapsulation are nanoscale processes that offer great potential for applications as diverse as sensors, environmental remediation and targeted drug delivery. Biological receptors and natural materials such as liposomes offer excellent characteristics for such uses. However, these molecules are expensive, complex to produce and are sensitive to chemical and physical environments. Molecular imprinting produces molecule-specific cavities that mimic the behavior of, and may be substituted for, natural receptor binding sites or antibodies, without the temperature sensitivity and high cost of the natural systems.1 Moreover, these artificial receptors may be synthesized for almost any target molecule.
