Benzo(α)pyrene imprinted polyacrylate nanosurfaces: Adsorption and binding characteristics

An acrylic polymer surface was nanopatterned with an atmospheric carcinogen, benzo(α)pyrene following a self-assembly approach. Benzo(α)pyrene is also an atmospheric pollutant. The polymer contains nanocavities of an average pore diameter of 44.95 ± 0.36 Å with a BET surface area of 146.68 ± 0.71 m2 g−1. These cavities are geometrically specific to the imprinted template and the surface contains conjugative double bonds and adjacent H-bonds. This makes the material functionally specific for targeted benzo(α)pyrene separation from atmosphere. The FTIR data confirmed the formation of desired functional groups at 2360 cm−1. A correlation has been developed based on molecular interaction scales to relate the template-imprinted polyacrylate. This correlation provides an insight to the dominant interaction types for the system and an explanation for the improved binding. This polymeric material has an excellent selectivity factor for benzo(α)pyrene even at very low concentrations in the range 0.1–0.4 ppb even in the presence of dioxins.