Molecular Recognition of Caffeine by Shell Molecular Imprinted Core–Shell Polymer Particles in Aqueous Media

Abstract

Selective molecular recognition is achieved by the molecular imprinting of polymeric particles in water with caffeine. The core–shell particles, obtained by a templated synthesis, selectively recognize caffeine over theophylline after removal of the template. A great advantage of the present method is the fact that the template can be completely removed as opposed to other templated syntheses. The effect of the shell thickness on the molecular recognition selectivity is discussed.