Biomimetic systems offer great potential as alternatives to their natural counterparts in a broad range of application areas, e.g. diagnostics/biosensors, catalysis, biomaterials and in separation technologies. Research involving two strategies shall be presented, the first based upon molecular imprinting strategies, and the second nanostructured materials.
Despite the phenomenal growth of the field over the past two decades, for the further development of molecular imprinting science and technology a number of significant challenges remain. One significant challenge is the need for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying molecular imprinting, as such knowledge is necessary in order that strategies for rational molecularly imprinted polymer design can be developed. A second is the to development of polymers with inherent functions that can mediate molecular level events in complex processes.
In this presentation, work has involving the development of theoretical tools for examining molecular-level events underlying aspects the molecular imprinting process shall be described. Insights gained from this work have implication for our understanding of factors governing the mechanisms underlying the molecular imprinting process.1 Further, some preliminary efforts to develop materials with function in biological environments shall be presented.2 Finally, efforts to reconstruct motor protein function in vitro based upon nanostructured materials/lithographic techniques, shall be presented.

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