Evaluation of methods aimed at complete removal of template from molecularly imprinted polymers

Polymers imprinted with clenbuterol were used to study the influence of various post-polymerization treatments [e.g., thermal annealing, microwave assisted extraction (MAE), Soxhlet extraction and supercritical fluid template desorption] on the bleeding of residual template. The aim of the study was to reduce the bleeding to levels that would allow the use of the materials as affinity phases for extraction of clenbuterol from bovine urine at concentrations below 1 ng ml−1. After treatment, the clenbuterol imprinted polymers were packed into solid-phase extraction columns and the bleeding was estimated by quantifying the amount of template released in 10 ml of methanol–acetic acid (9 + 1 v/v…