Molecular receptors in metal oxide sol-gel materials prepared via molecular imprinting

US6057377A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Sandia Corporation · US

Inventors

• Darryl Y. Sasaki · Irvine, US
• C. Jeffrey Brinker · Albuquerque, US
• Carol S. Ashley · Albuquerque, US
• Charles Daitch · New Market, US
• Kenneth J. Shea · Irvine, US
• Daniel J. Rush · Morristown, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 30, 1998
• Grant date: May 2, 2000
• Expiry date: Oct 30, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T436/10
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method is provided for molecularly imprinting the surface of a sol-gel material, by forming a solution comprised of a sol-gel material, a solvent, an imprinting molecule, and a functionalizing siloxane monomer of the form Si(OR).sub.3-n X.sub.n, wherein n is an integer between zero and three and X is a functional group capable of reacting with the imprinting molecule, evaporating the solvent, and removing the imprinting molecule to form the molecularly imprinted metal oxide sol-gel material. The use of metal oxide sol-gels allows the material porosity, pore size, density, surface area, hardness, electrostatic charge, polarity, optical density, and surface hydrophobicity to be tailored and be employed as sensors and in catalytic and separations operations.