Digital light processing 3D printing of molecularly imprinted polymers for antibiotic removal

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) as artificial receptors have received considerable scientific attention in the past few decades, as material for biomimetic molecular recognition. This paper explores the fabrication of MIPs by Additive Manufacturing (AM), which appears mostly as an unexplored field. Specifically Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology was employed to fabricate 3D-printed MIPs, imprinted with Oxytetracycline (OTC), a widespread antibiotic, whose presence in food and water must be controlled. The optimized MIP formulation also includes Methacrylic Acid as the functional monomer, Dipropylene Glycol Diacrylate as the crosslinker, and Dimethyl Sulfoxide as the solvent. The study demonstrates the recognition properties of the printed MIPs, showing enhanced binding performance with higher concentrations of the target molecule. The results underscore the potential of 3D-printed MIPs for a multitude of applications, including biomedical and environmental monitoring.