Rapid degradation of Congo red by molecularly imprinted polypyrrole-coated magnetic TiO2 nanoparticles in dark at ambient conditions.

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated magnetic TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared, using methyl orange (MO) as the dummy template and pyrrole as functional monomer, for degradation of Congo red (CR). The nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The imprinting efficiency of the imprinted nanoparticles was investigated by static binding test, and their degradation ability toward CR was also studied. Moreover, the effects of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and oscillation rate on degradation rate of CR were investigated. Results showed that the imprinted nanocomposite had higher adsorption ability for MO compared with the non-imprinted one. Moreover, it could degrade CR rapidly in dark at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and could be recycled easily by a magnet with a good reusability. A degradation mechanism was proposed according to LC-MS analysis of degradation products of CR. The new imprinted nanoparticles showed high catalytic activity at ambient conditions without light illumination and additional chemicals, and therefore, it can be potentially applied to the rapid, "green" and low-cost degradation of CR in industrial printing and dyeing wastewater.

Dummy molecularly imprinted mesoporous silica prepared by hybrid imprinting method for solid-phase extraction of bisphenol A.

A novel hybrid dummy imprinting strategy was developed to prepare a mesoporous silica for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of bisphenol A (BPA). A new covalent template-monomer complex (BPAF-Si) was first synthesized with 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane (BPAF) as the template. The imprinted silica was obtained through the gelation of BPAF-Si with tetraethoxysilane and the subsequent removal of template by thermal cleavage, and then it was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Results showed that the new silica had micron-level particle size and ordered mesoporous structure. The static binding test verified that the imprinted silica had much higher recognition ability for BPA than the non-imprinted silica. The imprinted silica also showed high extraction efficiencies and high enrichment factor for SPE of BPA. Using the imprinted silica, a SPE-HPLC-UV method was developed and successfully applied for detecting BPA in BPA-spiked tap water and lake water samples with a recovery of 99-105%, a RSD of 2.7-5.0% and a limit of detection (S/N=3) of 0.3ng/mL. The new imprinted silica avoided the interference of the residual template molecules and reduced the non-specific binding sites, and therefore it can be utilized as a good sorbent for SPE of BPA in environmental water samples.