A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is a biomimetic material that can be used as a biochemical sensing element. We studied the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and fluorescence anisotropy of anthracene imprinted polyurethane. We compared MIPs with imprinted analytes present, MIPs with the imprinted analytes extracted, MIPs with rebound analytes, non-imprinted control polymers (non-MIPs), and non-MIPs bound with analytes to understand MIP's binding behavior. MIPs and non-MIPs had similar steady-state fluorescence anisotropy in the range of 0.11-0.24. Anthracene rebound in MIPs and non-MIPs had a fluorescence lifetime τ=0.64 ns and a rotational correlation time φF=1.2-1.5 ns, both of which were shorter than that of MIPs with imprinted analytes present (τ=2.03 ns and φF=2.7 ns). The steady-state anisotropy of polymer solutions increased exponentially with polymerization time and might be used to characterize the polymerization extent in-situ.
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