Tuning Molecular Recognition in Water-Soluble Nanogels with Enzyme-Like Activity for the Kemp Elimination

The synthesis and characterization of water-soluble imprinted nanogels with enzyme-like activity in the Kemp elimination is reported together with studies that demonstrate how the recognition properties, morphology, and catalytic activity of the nanoparticles can be tuned by the use of surfactants, such as Tween 20. A detailed kinetic investigation is carried out, which shows clear evidence of saturation kinetics and rule out the effects of mass transfer. This is supported by characterization of the polymeric materials that confirms the morphological changes resulting from the use of surfactants. These results provide an important tool for the development of nanoparticle-based, new catalyst-mimicking enzymes.