Synthesis of a new magnetic-MIP for the selective detection of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, a highly allergenic compound

•Novel engineered magnetic nanoparticles selective for allergenic CDBN with potential environmental impact•Morphological and molecular recognition properties of imprinted materials•Direct magnetic separation, removal efficiency, and active remediation of real samples

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in combination with magnetic nanoparticles, in a core@shell format, were studied for selective detection of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), a powerful allergenic substance. Magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by the co-precipitation method and mixed with oleic acid (OA). This material was then encapsulated in three types of hydrophobic polymeric matrix, poly-(MA-co-EDGMA), poly-(AA-co-EDGMA), and poly-(1-VN-co-EDGMA), by the mini-emulsion method. These matrices were used due to their ability to interact specifically with the functional groups of the analyte. Finally, the MIP-CDNB was obtained on the magnetic-hydrophobic surfaces using precipitation polymerization in the presence of the analyte. XRD diffraction patterns suggested the presence of magnetite in the composite and SEM analysis revealed a nanoparticle size between 10 and 18 nm. Under the optimized adsorption conditions, the magnetic-MIP material showed a higher adsorption capacity (5.1 mg g− 1) than its non-magnetic counterpart (4.2 mg g− 1). In tests of the selectivity of the magnetic-MIP towards CDNB, α-values of 2.5 and 10.4, respectively, were obtained for dichlorophenol and o-nitrophenol, two structurally similar compounds, and no adsorption was observed for any other non-analogous analyte. The magnetic-MIP and magnetic-NIP were applied using water enriched with 0.5 mg L− 1 of CDNB, achieving recovery values of 83.8(± 0.8)% and 66(± 1)%, respectively, revealing the suitability of the material for detection of CDNB.

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