Printable, molecule-selective core-shell nanoparticles that couple a redox-active core with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shell. The core may comprise nickel hexacyanoferrate nanocubes with improved redox stability in physiological media. A thin MIP shell may be formed by templated copolymerization (e.g., methacrylic acid with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) around the nanocubes, followed by template extraction to generate target-complementary binding cavities. Monomer selection may be guided computationally to maximize binding energy and selectively for a chosen analyte. Target binding within the MIP shell may modulate interfacial electron transfer at the core, enabling more robust and reversible electrochemical transduction. The nanoparticles may be formulated into stable, inkjet-printable dispersions via optimized solvent systems and exhibit cytocompatibility, anti-biofouling behavior, thermal resilience, and long room-temperature shelf stability.

A composition of matter has a molecularly imprinted polymer having templated pores, and a reactive material occupying a portion of each pore, the reactive material selected to react when an analyte material for which the cavities are templated enters the cavities. A method of synthesizing a molecularly imprinted polymer includes arranging monomers around a template molecule having a reactive component and an analyte component, polymerizing the monomers, removing the template molecule, and reintroducing the reactive component of the template molecule. A method of detecting an analyte includes exposing a molecularly imprinted polymer to a fluid, the polymer having templated pores containing a detector material that is reactive to an analyte.