Synthesis and characterization of molecularly imprinted polymer for ethinylestradiol

Ethinylestradiol (EE2) is considered an emerging pollutant with high capacity for endocrine disruption. Thus, methodologies and materials applied to the monitoring of this compound are relevant to minimize environmental impacts. In this work, a synthetic route for molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) was proposed, employing EE2 and methacrylic acid as template molecule and functional monomer, respectively. The synthesized material showed effective “molecular memory”, leading to selective molecular rebinding, when compared to its reference polymer: non-imprinted polymer (NIP). These results, from MIP versus NIP, were evidenced by the characterization by high-performance liquid chromatography, where the peak area was smaller for the MIP, which indicates its greater selective adsorption; and differential pulse voltammetry, where the electrochemical signal was higher for the electrode configured with MIP. Therefore, two distinct methodologies proved the presence of selective sites along the polymer matrix. For the structure of the MIP, the SEM confirms an irregular particle size, giving the material a low uniformity, and an apparent roughness. However, the IV-TF confirms the presence of different functional groups along the polymer matrix, which may contribute to the functionality of the selective sites. Given the effective synthetic proposal and the characterization of IPM, it emerges as a material potential for application in EE2 monitoring. The present work contributed with two innovations; the implementation of the evaluation of the analytical response of the washing water of the MIP using an electrochemical technique (VPD) soon shows the important process of removal of the model molecule and the availability of the selective sites; and the synthesis of an MIP for EE2.