Molecular Imprinted Poly-Cyclodextrin for Selective Removal of Dibutyl Phthalate

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a potential endocrine disrupting chemical present in the environment, and designing an adsorbent with its molecular imprints for selective removal is critical for purification of contaminated water and soil. Here, we report the α-cyclodextrin-based porous polymer with the molecular imprint of DBP that can be used for its selective removal. Synthesis of the molecularly imprinted polymer involves cross-linking of α-cyclodextrin under the host–guest complexation condition between α-cyclodextrin and DBP, where DBP governs the mutual orientation of cyclodextrin during the polymerization process. DBP is then removed after polymerization, and the resultant polymer with molecular imprints of DBP exhibit higher binding affinity toward DBP as compared to its nonimprinted counterpart with the imprinting factor of 2.6. The molecular imprinted poly-cyclodextrin can be used for selective removal of DBP in contaminated water in the presence of its structural analogues. This approach can be extended for preparation of molecular imprinted polymers for other endocrine disrupting chemicals.