Selective separation and purification of β-estradiol from marine sediment using an optimized core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer

Quantification of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in environmental samples using imprinted polyethyleneimine with enhanced selectivity as a selective adsorbent in ambient plasma mass spectrometry

Detection and quantification of various organic chemicals in the environment is critical to track their fate and control their levels. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a widely applied phenoxy herbicide with potential toxicity to fish and other aquatic organisms. In this study, we address the need for improved detection of 2,4-D by introducing a novel analytical method for its quantification. This method relies on the selective extraction of 2,4-D using MIPs and their subsequent direct analysis using ambient plasma mass spectrometry. During the synthesis, MIPs with various degrees of glycidol (GLY) functionalization were obtained. Experimental data showed that MIPs with no GLY functionalization displayed the highest adsorption capacity. Conversely, MIPs with 30% GLY functionalization exhibited the greatest selectivity for 2,4-D, rendering them valuable for extraction of 2,4-D even in the presence of other contaminants. Finally, the obtained MIPs were applied for quantification of 2,4-D in various water samples through direct analysis using a specially designed ambient plasma mass spectrometry setup. This approach improved the detection limits by 200-fold compared to pure solution analysis. The quantification of 2,4-D in river water samples yielded highly satisfactory recoveries, demonstrating the effective utility of the proposed analytical setup for real-life water sample analysis.

Preparation of Immobilised 17β-Estradiol-Imprinted Nanoparticles onto Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibres to Use for the Removal of 17β-Estradiol from Wastewater

Estradiol, a phenolic steroid oestrogen, is one of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) found in natural and tap waters. The detection and removal of EDCs is attracting attention daily as they negatively affect animals' and humans' endocrine functions and physiological conditions. Therefore, developing a fast and practical method for the selective removal of EDCs from waters is essential. In this study, we prepared 17β-estradiol (E2)-imprinted HEMA-based nanoparticles onto bacterial cellulose nanofibres (E2-NP/BC-NFs) to use for the removal of E2 from wastewater. FT-IR and NMR confirmed the structure of the functional monomer. The composite system was characterised by BET, SEM, µCT, contact angle, and swelling tests. Additionally, the non-imprinted bacterial cellulose nanofibres (NIP/BC-NFs) were prepared to compare the results of E2-NP/BC-NFs. Adsorption of E2 from aqueous solutions was performed in batch mode and investigated via several parameters for optimisation conditions. The effect of pH studies was examined in the 4.0-8.0 range using acetate and phosphate buffers and a concentration of E2 of 0.5 mg/mL. The maximum E2 adsorption amount was 254 µg/g phosphate buffer at 45 °C. The experimental data show that the Langmuir is a relevant isotherm model for E2 adsorption. Additionally, the relevant kinetic model was the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It was observed that the adsorption process reached equilibrium in less than 20 min. The E2 adsorption decreased with the increase in salt at varying salt concentrations. The selectivity studies were performed using cholesterol and stigmasterol as competing steroids. The results show that E2 is 46.0 times more selective than cholesterol and 21.0 times more selective than stigmasterol. According to the results, the relative selectivity coefficients for E2/cholesterol and E2/stigmasterol were 8.38 and 86.6 times greater for E2-NP/BC-NFs than for E2-NP/BC-NFs, respectively. The synthesised composite systems were repeated ten times to assess the reusability of E2-NP/BC-NFs.

Review on molecular imprinting technology and its application in pre-treatment and detection of marine organic pollutants

Molecular imprinting technology (MIT) has been considered as an attractive method to produce artificial receptors with the memory of size, shape and functional groups of the templates and has become an emerging technique with the potential in various fields due to recognitive specificity, high efficient selectivity and mechanical stability, which can effectively remove background interference and is suitable for the pre-treatment and analysis of trace level substances in complex matrix samples. Nearly 100 papers about the application of MIT in the detection of marine pollutants were found through Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). On this basis, combined with the application of MIT in other fields, the pre-treatment process of marine environmental samples was summarized and the potential of four types of different molecularly imprinted materials in the pre-treatment and detection of marine organic pollutants (including antibiotics, triazines, organic dyes, hormones and shellfish toxins) samples was evaluated, which provides the innovative configurations and progressive applications for the analysis of marine samples, and also highlights future trends and perspectives in the emerging research field.

Photoresponsive Surface Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Detection of Profenofos in Tomato and Mangosteen

As a moderately toxic organophosphorus pesticide, profenofos (PFF) is widely used in agricultural practice, resulting in the accumulation of a high amount of PFF in agricultural products and the environment. This will inevitably damage our health. Therefore, it is important to establish a convenient and sensitive method for the detection of PFF. This paper reports a photoresponsive surface-imprinted polymer based on poly(styrene-co-methyl acrylic acid) (PS-co-PMAA@PSMIPs) for the detection of PFF by using carboxyl-capped polystyrene microspheres (PS-co-PMAA), PFF, 4-((4-(methacryloyloxy)phenyl)diazenyl) benzoic acid, and triethanolamine trimethacrylate as the substrate, template, functional monomer, and cross-linker, respectively. PS-co-PMAA@PSMIP shows good photoresponsive properties in DMSO/H2O (3:1, v/v). Its photoisomerization rate constant exhibits a good linear relationship with PFF concentration in the range of 0~15 μmol/L. PS-co-PMAA@PSMIP was applied for the determination of PFF in spiked tomato and mangosteen with good recoveries ranging in 94.4-102.4%.