ABSTRACT
The use of materials as so-called smart polymers is motivated by the simple observation that biological molecules perform incredibly complex functions. While the goal of engineering polymers as effectively as nature remains somewhat in the realm of science fiction, in recent years many researchers have sought to find or design synthetic polymeric materials capable of mimicking one or another “smart” property of biopolymers. This entry reviews some basic approaches to molecular imprinting and then moves to discuss in detail the Tanaka equation and its impact on imprinting.
