Imprinted polysilsesquioxanes for the enhanced recognition of metal ions

Imprinting techniques have been used to synthesize organic-inorganic hybrid polymers with ionic recognition characteristics. 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)et hane (BTSE) monomers were copolymerized with metal ion complexes of N-[3-(t rimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine ((TMS)en) in the presence of supramol ecular assemblies of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), via room tempe rature, hydrolytic, sol-gel procedures. Subsequent extraction of the surfac tant and metal ions results in a porous material with a high affinity for t he metal ion template. Selective sorbents have been synthesized for Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II). Adsorption studies indicate that these materials prefe rentially sequester the metal ion template from mixed solutions and exhibit fast uptake kinetics. These materials have been characterized by nitrogen gas adsorption, small-angle X-ray scattering, solid state C-13 NMR, and UV- visible spectroscopy.