Molecularly imprinted copolymer membranes functionalized by phase inversion imprinting for uracil recognition and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Separation Science

Background:

• Development of selective membranes for specific molecule recognition is crucial in separation technologies.
• Molecular imprinting offers a promising approach for creating tailored binding sites within polymer matrices.
• Poly(acrylonitrile-co-methylacrylic acid) [P(AN-co-MAA)] is a versatile polymer for membrane fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) using P(AN-co-MAA) with uracil (URA) as the template molecule.
• To characterize the morphology and polymer-template interactions of the URA-MIMs.
• To evaluate the binding capacity, selectivity, and performance of the URA-MIMs in aqueous solutions.

Main Methods:

• Molecularly imprinted membranes were synthesized using the phase inversion technique with URA as the template.
• Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were employed for polymer-template interaction analysis.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to examine membrane morphology.
• Permeation experiments were conducted to assess binding capacity and selectivity.

Main Results:

• The synthesized P(AN-co-MAA) membranes exhibited a porous ultrafiltration structure.
• Spectroscopic studies confirmed polymer-template interactions.
• The URA-MIMs showed a high binding capacity for URA (7.9 micromol/g) and demonstrated selective binding over analogs like dimethyluracil (DMURA) and caffeine (CAF).

Conclusions:

• Molecularly imprinted membranes based on P(AN-co-MAA) can be effectively prepared for selective uracil recognition.
• The developed membranes possess suitable morphology and binding properties for potential separation applications.
• The study highlights the potential of P(AN-co-MAA) MIMs for targeted molecule separation.