Fabrication and Analysis of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for ivermectin: theoretical modeling, synthesis, characterization and adsorption evaluation

Adauto A.; Morante G.; Fermin B.; Tuesta J.C.; Khan S.; Vega-Chacón J.; Sotomayor M.D.P.T.; López R.; Picasso G. · Polymer Bulletin (2026) · DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06589-x

Resumen

The adsorption process of MIP in the removal of the ivermectin (IVER) was evaluated. A computational study was carried out to select an appropriate monomer to obtain a selective polymer using Gaussian 9.0 with the semi-empirical method coupled to Austin 1 (AM1) and Parametrization 3 (PM3). The MIP was synthesized by the precipitation polymerization method using IVER as a template molecule, N-(Hydroxymethyl) acrylamide (HMA) as a functional monomer, trimethylolpropane (TRIM) as a crosslinking agent, 4,4′-Azobis (4-cyanovaleric acid) (ACVA) as radical initiator and acetonitrile as porogenic solvent. Non-molecularly imprinted polymers (NIPs) were synthesized using the same methodology except for the use of the template molecule. The polymers were characterized using: Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and N2 sorption. SEM images revealed that polymers exhibited larger and more irregular particles, typically ranging from 1.5 to 5 μm, with rougher surfaces. Moreover, the MIP-IVER exhibited a high specific surface area of 378 m² g⁻¹. The maximum adsorption capacities of MIP-IVER in the removal of IVER was 125.4 mg g− 1. The adsorption process between adsorbate-adsorbent would be given by the formation of the hydrogen bond. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm correlated quite well with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively. Finally, the selectivity towards other molecules of similar structure and application to real samples was evaluated. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Alto Amazonas