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In the last 10 years, we have witnessed an extensive development of instrumental techniques in analytical methods for determination of various molecules and ions at very low concentrations. Nevertheless, the presence of interfering components of complex samples hampered the applicability of new analytical strategies. Thus, additional sample pre-treatment steps were proposed to overcome the problem. Solid sorbents were used for clean-up samples but insufficient selectivity of commercial materials limited their utility. Here, the application of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) or ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) in the separation processes have recently attracted attention due to their many advantages, such as high selectivity, robustness, and low costs of the fabrication process. Bulk or monoliths, microspheres and core-shell materials, magnetically susceptible and stir-bar imprinted materials are applicable to different modes of solid-phase extraction to determine target analytes and ions in a very complex environment such as blood, urine, soil, or food. The capability to perform a specific separation of enantiomers is a substantial advantage in clinical analysis. The ion-imprinted sorbents gained interest in trace analysis of pollutants in environmental samples. In this review, the current synthetic approaches for the preparation of MIPs and IIPs are comprehensively discussed together with a detailed characterization of respective materials. Furthermore, the use of sorbents in environmental, food, and biomedical analyses will be emphasized to point out current limits and highlight the future prospects for further development in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the exploration of specific imprinted sorbent for 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetic acid (NHPA), an indicator of 3-nitrotyrosine, a biomarker of pathophysiological states, was described. The optimization of synthetic protocol, supported by theoretical studies, allowed to select NHPA imprinted poly(acrylic acid- co -ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) as the most specific polymer with imprinting factor equal to 2.27. The acrylic copolymers were characterized, revealing differences between the imprinted and non-imprinted material in the adsorption binding capacities (0.54 ± 0.12 and 0.335 ± 0.073 μmol g−1, respectively), heterogeneity indices (0.47 and 0.72), pseudo-second order kinetics constants (0.251 and 0.077 g μmol −1 min−1, respectively), and total specific surface areas (51.8 and 292.3 m2 g−1, respectively). The significant difference in the microstructure of pores was considered as the crucial factor responsible for sorption properties of analyzed materials. • 4-Hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetic acid imprinted polymer was investigated. • Synthesis optimization supported by theoretical analysis was carried out. • Insight into morphology and sorption properties of sorbent was provided. • Imprinted poly(acrylic acid- co -ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) porosity was analyzed. • Extraction capabilities from model multicomponent sample were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]