Enzyme mimics based on molecular imprinting polymers: Applications and perspective

Enzyme mimics have been receiving increasing attention as alternatives to overcome the limitations of natural enzymes, such as low stability at high temperature and in organic solvents and high cost for mass production. Molecular imprinting, as a widely applied technology in fields of chemical sensing, separation, drug delivery and extraction, is an effective tool to achieve the specificity of enzyme mimics. This review provides an overview on molecular imprinting polymer enzyme mimics reported over the past 30 years. These enzyme mimics are classified into five categories according to their type of reaction. We hope that this review will encourage new researchers to participate in this flourishing area.