Rapid preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers by microwave-assisted emulsion polymerization for the extraction of florfenicol in milk

•The polymer was prepared by microwave-assisted emulsion polymerization.•The polymerization time was greatly shortened.•The polymer was spherical in shape and exhibited a uniform morphology.•The binding capacity and selectivity of the polymer were studied.•The matrix effect of the method based on the polymer was investigated.

In this study, we proposed a rapid and simple method for the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) by emulsion polymerization. The polymerization process was accelerated by microwave heating, and the reaction time was greatly shortened. The obtained MIPs were spherical in shape and exhibited a uniform morphology. The MIPs with selectivity and high affinity to florfenicol were successfully applied as solid-phase extraction materials to extract and clean up the florfenicol in milk, followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. The parameters affecting the performance of extraction and LC–MS analysis were evaluated. The detection limit of the method was 4.1 ng mL−1. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day were in the range of 3.5–4.7% and 3.9–7.5%, respectively.