Molecular Imprinting Strategy on Flame-Made TiO₂ for Highly Selective Degradation of Characteristic Aquatic...

Herein, a molecularly imprinted TiO₂ photocatalyst (T@MIP) was designed for the targeted degradation of tetracycline by combining flame spray pyrolysis with surface molecular imprinting technology. The FSP-derived TiO₂ substrate, rich in surface defects and hydroxyl groups, serves as a key anchor for the subsequent prepolymerization of specific molecularly imprinted sites. The T@MIP catalyst exhibits excellent overall performance, including high selectivity for TC in a multipollutant system, exceptional degradation efficiency, and near-complete mineralization. Notably, mechanistic studies using free-radical EPR and in situ DRIFTS revealed that the molecularly imprinted sites simultaneously enrich TC molecules, leading to synergistic degradation dominated by ·O₂^- and h⁺. This work establishes a new model for the development of "smart" photocatalytic systems for precision environmental remediation.