Synthesis and investigation of the imprinting efficiency of ion imprinted nanoparticles for recognizing copper

The Cu(2+) imprinted nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple approach including imprinting and crosslinking in aqueous solutions. The morphologies of imprinted polymers were alterable by changing the component ratio and are illustrated using a field emission scanning electron microscope. The obtained nanoparticles were applied as novel polymeric adsorbents with outstanding adsorption capacity and good selectivity to recognize and remove copper ions. The component ratio of PEI, crosslinking agents and template ions was systematically studied with their influence on the morphology and imprinting efficiency of sorbents. The crosslinking degree and the amount of imprinted sites were investigated with different component ratios and were confirmed to be the key factors of the imprinting efficiency. The appropriate dosage ratio of PEI, ECHA and template Cu(2+) was 1 g : 1 g : 2.5 mmol and the imprinting efficiency can be significantly improved. The maximum selectivity coefficients of the nanoparticles for Cu(2+)/Cr(3+) and Cu(2+)/Zn(2+) were 5.21 and 21.00. The results obtained could be extended to other polymers with improvement in imprinting efficiency and further applications.