Microwave-assisted sol–gel synthesis for molecular imprinting

Molecularly imprinted polymers have been the subject of intense research for several decades in both academic and industrial settings. In this paper, we introduce a novel microwave-assisted sol–gel method for molecular imprinting of silica microspheres. The microspheres were characterized, and their adsorption of imprint and non-imprint molecules was investigated. The dye molecules methyl orange and ethyl orange were used as templates. Good molecular imprinting was observed as evaluated by the re-adsorption of dye into the silica matrix followed by the removal of dye from the supernatant solution.