Multiple-functional molecularly imprinted nanocomposite membranes for high-efficiency selective separation applications: An imitated core-shell TiO2@PDA-based MIMs design

Development of membrane-associated molecularly imprinted materials with fast and high permselectivity has been significant needed in separation engineering field. Herein, for the first time, a subversive synthesis strategy with hierarchical structure was proposed for the preparation of nanocomposite blended molecularly imprinted membranes (NBMIMs). Artemisinin, the high-efficiency antimalarial drug, was chosen as the template molecule. Instead of the direct modification of nanocomposite on membrane surfaces , the double-bonded TiO 2 @PDA was initially prepared, the blended membrane synthesis procedure was then conducted through a phase conversion process by using the as-prepared TiO 2 @PDA and PVDF powder as host materials. Importantly, the double-bonded TiO 2 @PDA-based nanocomposite in blended membranes was first proposed and applied as imprinting-initiated factor during the next artemisinin-imprinted process, leading the formation of imitated core-shell structure on membrane surfaces. It was no surprise that more excellent rebinding capacity (66.9 mg g −1 ), fast adsorption kinetics and high permselectivity coefficients (more than 17) were successfully achieved. Furthermore, an important conclusion was also obtained that TiO 2 @PDA-based nanocomposite from NBMIMs would cause significant enhancement of the rebinding capacity, that is to say, more and more artemisinin-imprinted sites would be synthesized by increasing the dosage of TiO 2 @PDA until 0.5 g. Therefore, a novel direction for the design and manipulation of MIMs materials had been successfully designed and guided for selective separation of artemisinin.