A porous hybrid imprinted membrane for selectively anchoring target proteins from a complex matrix

Abstract

A novel porous hybrid imprinted membrane (CP/CNT/DA-MIM) was prepared that could selectively anchor and separate target proteins from a complex matrix. CP/CNT/DA-MIM exhibits many of the advantages of molecularly imprinted polymers and membranes, including the high selectivity of MIPs, the lower energy consumption and the ability to continuously separate mixtures via membrane separation. The surface morphologies and physical/chemical properties of the different membranes were investigated using FTIR, XRD, DSC, XPS and SEM. The results showed that the different molecules contained within CP/CNT/DA-MIM were homogeneous; two different sizes of imprinted cavities were observed in CP/CNT/DA-MIM, which facilitate the selective anchoring property. The adsorption capacities, swelling behaviors and mechanical properties of the different constituent membranes were also compared. The results show that the adhesion and nonspecific adsorption properties of the membrane were manifestly reduced through the addition of PVP. The binding capacity and adsorption selectivity of the membrane were apparently improved because of the presence of dopamine. MWCNTs obviously improved the mechanical strength of the membranes. CP/CNT/DA-MIM was successfully applied to separate bovine serum albumin from bovine blood. CP/CNT/DA-MIM is an economical, hydrophilic and ecofriendly membrane and is a promising separation material for the large-scale continuous selective separation of target proteins from complex matrices in commercial applications.