THE USE OF NATURAL CROSS LINKERS IN MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMER TECHNOLOGY- PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.

Cross linkers are basic anchor component of molecularly imprinted polymer matrices. Popularly used cross linkers are of synthetic origin and inherently possess unwanted characteristic attributes despite their advantaged ease of synthesis and specificity in reactivity.Cross-linkers significantly increases the viscosity of linear gel by increasing the molecular weight of the base polymer through linking multiple molecules together, it increases molecular weight without additional polymers. One of the disadvantages of cross-linkers is the potential increase in friction pressure of the polymer.This review x-rays the source availability of natural alternative cross linkers, their chemistry and application preferences, as well as their projected utility potentials. Keywords: Cross linkers, molecularly imprinted polymers,