INFLUENCEOFCROSSLINKINGAGENTON ELECTROCHEMICAL AND CONFORMATIONAL BEHAVIOR OF MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMERS BASED ON METHACRYLIC ACID AND 4-VINYLPYRIDINE IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based on methacrylic acid (MAA) and 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) of two types have been synthesized (the difference in types is based on the use of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and diethylene glycol dimethacrylate (DEGDMA) as a crosslinking agent). Salts of cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, and europium were used as templates for the synthesis. Control samples of Molecularly imprinted polymers were also synthesized (samples synthesized in exactly the same way, but without the templates).Electrochemical and conformational behavior of the synthesized structures in an aqueous medium was studied. Molecularly imprinted polymers are weakly exposed to swelling and ionization due to tight crosslinking, while it should be noted that a high degree of crosslinking leads to high mechanical strength of macromolecular structures.Comparison of the measured parameters (electrical conductivity, pH) of molecularly imprinted polymers containing a template with control samples of MIP indicate the presence of cavities complementary to the template (rare-earth metal ion) used in their synthesis. In the presence of MIP synthesized in the presence of EGDMA (MIP-1) higher values of electrical conductivity and pH are observed as compared to MIP synthesized in the presence of DEGDMA (MIP-2) due to less tight crosslinking.