Molecular imprinting photocatalysis: A promising union for water pollution preferential remediation

Water pollution remediation has emerged as a paramount challenge amid rapid industry, agriculture and society development, particularly for persistent, low-concentration contaminants that evade conventional water treatments. Integrating photocatalysis with molecular imprinting technology offers a transformative approach for specific adsorption, enhanced matrix resistance, and efficient radical utilization through pollutant targeted degradation, delivering great potential in water pollution preferential remediation. This review briefly summarized the fundamental mechanisms underlying molecular imprinting and photocatalysis, and discussed in detail the research necessity and key scientific challenges faced by molecular imprinting photocatalysts (MIPCs). Combining different photocatalytic materials, synergistic mechanism of selective adsorption with photodegradation, and water pollution removal efficiency, the innovative design strategies of MIPCs are discussed in detail from perspective of molecular imprinting (photocatalyst and MIPs separated, photocatalyst serving as imprinted matrix) and photocatalysis (diverse photocatalysts, e.g., TiO₂, g-C₃N₄, ZnO, CdS). Additionally, theoretical calculations about this field were analyzed critically. Finally, the key challenges and long-term prospects were outlined, emphasizing four critical dimensions: (1) enhancement of selective removal efficiency; (2) elucidation of reaction mechanisms; (3) scalability for practical applications; (4) innovative imprinting strategies. This review is expected to offer fundamental insights into both the scientific principles and engineering applications of MIPCs, while catalyzing advancements in water preferential remediation technologies.