Recent advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for potential environmental applications

Abstract

In recent years, 3D printing technology, or additive manufacturing, has attracted exceptional interest in several areas of research owing to its rapid prototyping capabilities, reduced fabrication time, one-step production process, and growing variety of functional printing plates. The 3D printing technology involves the sequential deposition or polymerization of thin layers of material to produce the intended object. Despite all 3D printers being designed for the same purpose, their dimensions, resolutions, compatible materials, post-manufacturing devices needed, and cost might differ significantly. Combining molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with 3D printing technology (3D-MIPs) enables reproducible and scalable final fabricated systems. This work covers the advancements of the synergistic integration of 3D printing technology with MIPs for the polymerization phase to allow manufacturing materials with qualities precisely satisfied for the separation of organic and inorganic compounds from water matrices and different samples. The procedures and ideas involved in synthesizing 3D-MIPs are discussed, along with their substantial properties for environmental applications. Particular emphasis is focused on the efficiency of the prepared materials resulting from the designed 3D-MIPs compared to those of the individual entities.