Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is used to synthesize receptors and is highly recognized against target molecules. The purpose of the study is to prepare bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polymer that can be used to adsorb BPA molecules. The MIP was prepared by precipitation polymerization using BPA as a template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker, acetonitrile as a solvent, and 1,1'-azobis(cyclohexanecarbonitrile) (AIBN) as an initiator by heating in an oil bath at 60 °C for 20 hours. The influence of several parameters (i.e., the ratio of monomer-template, the amount of crosslinker, and the amount of solvent) on the recognition capability of BPA MIP was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions of BPA synthesis are 3 mmol of monomer, 30 mmol of crosslinker, and 35 mL of solvent, which achieved an adsorption capacity of 78.111 mg/g. The MIP and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MIP shows higher selectivity towards BPA compared to other analogs. In conclusion, the particles of imprinted polymer have a great potential in the adsorption of BPA.
