Highly selective removal of 2,4‐dinitrophenol by a surface imprinted sol–gel polymer

In this work, 2,4‐dinitrophenol (2,4‐DNP), a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with excellent performance was synthesized in ethanol by the sol–gel method using 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane as functional monomer on the surface of silica particles. The structure and morphology of MIP were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis, infrared spectra, and thermogravimetry analysis. Results demonstrated that MIP had excellent selectivity toward the template molecule (2,4‐DNP) with an imprinting factor of 9.55 and a maximum static adsorption capacity of 114.7 mg g−1. Data obtained from the adsorption isotherm of 2,4‐DNP were fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model, and the adsorption process can be described by the pseudo‐second‐order model. The investigation of adsorption mechanism revealed that the specific recognition process of MIP toward 2,4‐DNP was dominated by the hydrogen bond and molecular structure. By employing as a sorbent, the as‐prepared MIP was applied to recognize and remove 2,4‐DNP in poster paper, nonwoven fabric and brown curtain with recoveries in the range from 85.74 to 100.00%. However, the MIP can effectively remove 2,4‐DNP after five cycles.