Selective removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol by surface molecularly imprinted polymers based on amino-functionalized fe ₃O ₄@SiO ₂ composites

A highly selective imprinted amino-functionalized fe ₃O ₄@SiO ₂ sorbent was prepared by surface molecular imprinting technique for selective removal of trace 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in water samples. The 2,4-DCP-imprinted amino-functionalized fe ₃O ₄@SiO ₂ sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, thermogravimetric analysis and batch-mode binding studies. The imprinted functionalized fe ₃O ₄@SiO ₂ sorbent exhibited high selectivity and offered a fast kinetics for the adsorption of 2,4-DCP. The prepared sorbent was shown to be promising for selective removal of trace levels of 2,4-DCP in environmental water samples.