Spatial characterization of peptide nucleic acid molecularly imprinted inverse opal

The combination of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and inverse opals (IO) have been a point of interest in the past few years due to their potential in sensing applications. At the same time, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a stable analogue to natural occurring genetic material. In this study, we describe the preparation and characterization of a PNA imprinted matrix, based on the controlled self-assembly of organized silica particles (SiPs) arrays. The degree of organization of the silica arrays are compared to the organization of the cavities after the removal of the SiPs, using spatial statistical analysis. This analysis of the Voronoi tessellations, pair correlation functions and bond order showed that the successfully formed arrays contain a high degree of quasi-hexagonal (hexatic) organization of the cavities, with both global and local order. The adsorption analysis of the materials show potential for developing future materials with tunable structural reflective properties, such as on-site, color- changing genetic material sensor.Graphical abstract