Molecularly imprinted polymers： novel green preparation methods and cutting-edge applications review

Molecular imprinting technology is an emerging technique that achieves specific recognition of imprinted molecules by simulating the interactions between antibody and antigen or between enzyme and substrate. The core of this technology lies in the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers （MIPs）. However， traditional preparation methods of MIPs face severe challenges due to drawbacks such as uneven morphology， limited conformational choices for molecular recognition， random and uncontrollable polymerization， and environmental safety hazards， making the innovation of synthesis methods urgent. In recent years， with the proposal of green chemistry concepts and the development of green synthesis methods， the preparation technology of MIPs has gradually transitioned towards resource-saving and environment-friendly directions. The preparation of green molecularly imprinted polymers （GMIPs） aims to replace traditional methods by reducing the use of solvents and the generation of waste liquids during the synthesis process， employing safe and non-toxic reagents and solvents， and developing efficient synthesis methods to improve energy efficiency. Green solvents such as water， supercritical carbon dioxide， deep eutectic solvents， and ionic liquids are used to replace organic solvents in the synthesis of traditional MIPs. Functional monomers with biocompatibility and environmental friendliness， including chitosan， cellulose， itaconic acid， dopamine， and cyclodextrin， have found increasing applications in the preparation of MIPs. In addition， the preparation technology of MIPs is gradually transitioning towards resource conservation and environmental friendliness. The development of novel synthesis methods such as green precipitation polymerization， microwave-assisted synthesis， supercritical fluid technology， ultrasound-assisted polymerization， and computer simulation-assisted design and characterization has promoted the popularity of GMIPs preparation methods. These novel preparation methods significantly improve the functionality and environmental compatibility of MIPs by precisely regulating reaction conditions， reducing energy consumption， and minimizing harmful by-products. They not only optimize the synthesis efficiency of MIPs， but also provide new ideas for solving the bottlenecks of traditional methods in morphology control and large-scale production. GMIPs， with their high selectivity， stability， and tunability， have shown breakthrough applications in multiple frontier fields. For example， in environmental monitoring， GMIPs are applied to detect heavy metal ions （such as lead and arsenic）， organic pollutants （such as pesticides and antibiotics）， and explosives in aqueous environments. In the field of food safety analysis， GMIPs enable efficient enrichment and detection of trace pollutants （such as pesticide residues， veterinary drugs， and mycotoxins） in food matrices， significantly outperforming traditional methods. In biomedical applications， GMIPs are developed as drug controlled-release systems， biomarker detection platforms， and targeted therapeutic carriers. In addition， the efficient performance of GMIPs in sample pretreatment （such as solid-phase extraction） further reduces analysis costs and reduces reliance on organic solvents. This paper reviews the novel preparation methods of GMIPs and their applications in environmental monitoring， food safety， and biomedicine in recent years， and provides an outlook on the development of GMIPs.