Molecularly imprinted polymer-based materials as thin films on silica supports for efficient adsorption of Patulin

Abstract

Abstract A molecularly imprinted polymer material (MIP) was developedas thin films of polymer attached on the surface of a solid support. Such materials were made of Stober silica particles chemically modified with methacryloyl groups, to which poly(methacrylic acid) or copolymers of methacrylic and maleic acids were grafted during their radical polymerization. The polymerization was carried out in the presence of the Patulin mycotoxin and the resulting materials were used as a matrix for separation of Patulin. The syntheses of the MIPs and the corresponding non-imprinted materials (NIP) were characterized by means of FT-IR, 13 C NMR and elemental analysis. The uptake capacity of Patulin by the MIPs was 1.55 mmol g −1 , four times higher than the corresponding NIP. The adsorption of Patulin on the MIP reached a steady state in only 20 min whereas full adsorption on the NIP took 120 min under the same conditions. The adsorption followed pseudo-second order kinetics. The adsorption isotherm was of a Freundlich type. Such MIPs could be employed as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Patulin from complex media.