Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of soils, rocks and ice at subzero temperatures in simulated martian conditions

We applied Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) on moist soil/rock samples in simulated Martian conditions. The signal behavior as a function of the surface temperature in the range from + 25 °C to − 60 °C was studied at pressure of 7 mbar. We observed the strong signal oscillations below 0 °C with different negative peaks, whose position, width and magnitude depend on the surface roughness. In some cases, the signal was reduced for one order of magnitude with consequences for the LIBS analytical capability. We attribute such a signal behavior to the presence of supercooled water inside the surface pores, which freezing point depends on the pore size. On a same rock samples with different grades of the surface polishing, the signal has different temperature dependence. Its decrease was always registered close to 0 °C, corresponding to the freezing/melting of normal disordered ice, which can be present inside larger pores and scratching. An amount of the signal reduction at the phase transition temperatures does not seem to change with the laser energy density in the examined range. Comparative measurements were performed on a frozen water solution. A large depression, for two orders of magnitude, of the LIBS intensity was observed close to − 50 °C. The same negative peak, but with a smaller magnitude, was also registered on some rock/soil samples. Ablation rates and plasma parameters as a function of the sample temperature are also discussed, and their consequences for in-situ analyses.     

Miniaturized Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for the in-situ analysis of the Martian surface: Calibration and quantification

We report on our ongoing studies to develop Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for planetary surface missions to Mars and other planets and moons, like Jupiter's moon Europa or the Earth's moon. Since instruments for space missions are severely mass restricted, we are developing a light-weight miniaturized close-up LIBS instrument to be installed on a lander or rover for the in-situ geochemical analysis of planetary surface rocks and coarse fines. The total mass of the instrument will be ≈ 1 kg in flight configuration. Here we report on a systematic performance study of a LIBS instrument equipped with a prototype laser of 216 g total mass and an energy of 1.8 mJ. The LIBS measurements with the prototype laser and the comparative measurements with a regular 40 mJ laboratory laser were both performed under Martian atmospheric conditions.     

Utilization of electrodeposition for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry determination of gold

Gold was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after electrochemical preconcentration on the graphite ridge probe used as a working electrode and sample support. The probe surface was electrochemically modified with Pd, Re and the mixture of both. The electrolysis of gold was performed under galvanostatic control at 0.5 mA. Maximum pyrolysis temperature for the probe surface modified with Pd was 1200 °C, with Re 1300 °C. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 2 μg l^− 1 Au was not higher than 5.6% (n = 8) for 2 min electrodeposition. The sensitivity of gold determination was reproducible for 300 electrodeposition and atomization cycles. When the probe surface was modified with a mixture of Pd and Re the detection limit was 31 ng l^− 1 for 2 min electrodeposition, 3.7 ng l^− 1 for 30 min, 1.5 ng l^− 1 for 1 h and 0.4 ng l^− 1 for 4 h electrodeposition, respectively. The procedure was applied to the determination of gold in river water samples. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 2.5 ng l^− 1 Au at 4 h electrodeposition time at 0.5 mA was 7.5%.     

Preparation of an efficient sorbent by washing then pyrolysis of olive wood for simultaneous solid phase extraction of chloro-phenols and nitro-phenols from water

Simultaneous preconcentration of phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, and 2,4-dinitrophenol was improved by using olive wood (OW) washed with ethanol then pyrolyzed at 200 °C as preconcentrating sorbent. Various OW sorbents were prepared by either washing OW (with ethanol, ether, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran or n-hexane); or by pyrolysis (at 100, 150, 200, 250 or 300 °C); or by combined pyrolysis/washing. The adsorbents were characterized by elemental analysis, total acidity/basicity, methylene blue relative surface area, point of zero charge, distribution coefficients of the phenols, and sample loading flow rate. It seems that washing and pyrolysis have removed compounds covering the OW pores, which improved the OW porosity and exposed more acidic groups on the OW surface. The pores and the surface acidic groups seem to play major role in phenols sorption. Ethanol-washed OW then pyrolyzed at 200 °C gave the best preconcentration performance towards phenols (300 mg sorbent, 150 mL of the sample (pH 7), and elution with 3 mL of acetonitrile). The method was linear up to 100 μg L⁻¹; limit of quantification: 0.20-0.48 μg L⁻¹. The method could detect phenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol in industrial wastewater with spiked recovery range from 80.2% to 91.4% (±1.1 to 5.5%RSD) for all the phenols.     

Determination of hydroxyls density in the silica-mesostructured cellular foams by thermogravimetry

Thermogravimetry was applied to determine the surface hydroxyls coverage in the mesostructured cellular foams (MCFs) calcined at different temperatures and then rehydroxylated by contacting with water vapor or liquid. The TG measurements were performed by heating MCFs in air stream using a three-step temperature program: (i) at rate of 5 °C min⁻¹ from 25 to 200 °C; (ii) held at 200 °C for 30 min; and (iii) heating at rate of 10 °C min⁻¹ up to 1100 °C. The hydroxyls content was calculated from weight loss during third step. The hydroxyls density appeared to depend strongly on the calcination temperature and the subsequent contact with water vapor. When MCFs were exposed for a short period (ca. 1 min) to moist air the hydroxyls content increased rapidly, more in the samples calcined at 300 °C than 500 °C, to attain surface densities of 4.75 and 1.6 OH nm⁻², respectively. The 2-h contact with water vapor resulted in slower further increase of hydroxyls densities, to values of 5.45 and 2.9 OH nm⁻², for samples calcined at 300 and 500 °C, but longer contacts had no significant effect. A similar trend was also observed when sample was treated with liquid water.     

Subcritical water extraction of organic matter from sedimentary rocks

Subcritical water extraction of organic matter containing sedimentary rocks at 300 °C and 1500 psi produces extracts comparable to conventional solvent extraction. Subcritical water extraction of previously solvent extracted samples confirms that high molecular weight organic matter (kerogen) degradation is not occurring and that only low molecular weight organic matter (free compounds) are being accessed in analogy to solvent extraction procedures. The sedimentary rocks chosen for extraction span the classic geochemical organic matter types. A type I organic matter-containing sedimentary rock produces n-alkanes and isoprenoidal hydrocarbons at 300 °C and 1500 psi that indicate an algal source for the organic matter. Extraction of a rock containing type II organic matter at the same temperature and pressure produces aliphatic hydrocarbons but also aromatic compounds reflecting the increased contributions from terrestrial organic matter in this sample. A type III organic matter-containing sample produces a range of non-polar and polar compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated aromatic compounds at 300 °C and 1500 psi reflecting a dominantly terrestrial origin for the organic materials. Although extraction at 300 °C and 1500 psi produces extracts that are comparable to solvent extraction, lower temperature steps display differences related to organic solubility. The type I organic matter produces no products below 300 °C and 1500 psi, reflecting its dominantly aliphatic character, while type II and type III organic matter contribute some polar components to the lower temperature steps, reflecting the chemical heterogeneity of their organic inventory. The separation of polar and non-polar organic compounds by using different temperatures provides the potential for selective extraction that may obviate the need for subsequent preparative chromatography steps. Our results indicate that subcritical water extraction can act as a suitable replacement for conventional solvent extraction of sedimentary rocks, but can also be used for any organic matter containing mineral matrix, including soils and recent sediments, and has the added benefit of tailored extraction for analytes of specific polarities.     

2-D analysis of Ge implanted SiO2 surfaces by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

2-D elemental distribution of Ge in silicon oxide substrates with differing implantation doses of between 3 × 10¹⁶ cm^− 2 and 1.5 × 10¹⁷ cm^− 2 has been investigated by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). Spectral emission intensity has been optimized with respect to time, crater size, ablation depth and laser energy. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) have been utilized to obtain crater depth, morphology and elemental composition of the sample material, respectively. LIBS spectral data revealed the possibility of performing 2-D distribution analysis of Ge atoms in silicon oxide substrate. EDX analysis results confirmed that LIBS is capable to detect Ge atoms at concentrations lower than 0.2% (atomic). LIBS as a fast semi-quantitative analysis method with 50 µm lateral and 800 nm depth resolution has been evaluated. Results illustrate the potential use of LIBS for rapid, on-line assessment of the quality of advanced technology materials during the manufacturing process.     

Development of liquid phase microextraction method based on solidification of floated organic drop for extraction and preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides in water samples

A simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) in conjunction with gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) has been developed for extraction and determination of 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from water samples. In this technique a microdrop of 1-dodecanol containing pentachloronitrobenzene (internal standard) is delivered to the surface of an aqueous sample while being agitated by a stirring bar in the bulk of solution. Following completion of extraction, the sample vial was cooled by putting it into an ice bath for 5 min. Finally 2 μL of the drop was injected into the GC for analysis. Factors relevant to the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized. Under the optimized extraction conditions (extraction solvent: 1-dodecanol; extraction temperature: 65 °C; sodium chloride concentration: 0.25 M; microdrop and sample volumes: 8 μL and 20 mL respectively; the stirring rate: 750 rpm and the extraction time: 30 min), figures of merit of the proposed method were evaluated. The detection limits of the method were in the range of 7-19 ng L⁻¹ and the RSD% for analysis of 2 μg L⁻¹ of OCPs was below 7.2% (n = 5). A good linearity (r² ≥ 0.993) and a relatively broad dynamic linear range (25-2000 ng L⁻¹) were obtained. After 30 min of extraction, preconcentration factors were in the range of 708-1337 for different organochlorine pesticides and the relative errors ranged from −10.1 to 10.9%. Finally the proposed method was successfully utilized for preconcentration and determination of OCPs in different real samples.     

Fast and sensitive trace metal analysis in aqueous solutions by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using wood slice substrates

To perform fast and sensitive trace metal analysis in aqueous solutions by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) based on only one single-pulse laser system, a wood slice has been used as a liquid absorber to transform liquid sample analysis to solid sample analysis using LIBS. High detection sensitivity and good reproducibility can be achieved with this approach. Calibration curves for five metal elements, Cr, Mn, Cu, Cd, and Pb under trace concentrations, have been obtained, and the limits of their detection were determined to be in the range of 0.029–0.59 mg L^− 1, 2–3 orders better than those obtained by directly analyzing liquid samples where the laser was focused on a liquid surface. The wood slice was very easy to handle and thus, the whole analysis process took only 4–5 min for each sample. This approach provides a more practical approach for fast and sensitive metal element analysis in aqueous solutions using LIBS, which is especially useful for monitoring toxic heavy metals in water.     

Evaluation of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for the determination of micronutrients in plant materials

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been evaluated for the determination of micronutrients (B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) in pellets of plant materials, using NIST, BCR and GBW biological certified reference materials for analytical calibration. Pellets of approximately 2 mm thick and 15 mm diameter were prepared by transferring 0.5 g of powdered material to a 15 mm die set and applying 8.0 tons cm^− 2. An experimental setup was designed by using a Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm (200 mJ per pulse, 10 Hz) and an Echelle spectrometer with ICCD detector. Repeatability precision varied from 4 to 30% from measurements obtained in 10 different positions (8 laser shots per test portion) in the same sample pellet. Limits of detection were appropriate for routine analysis of plant materials and were 2.2 mg kg^− 1 B, 3.0 mg kg^− 1 Cu, 3.6 mg kg^− 1 Fe, 1.8 mg kg^− 1 Mn and 1.2 mg kg^− 1 Zn. Analysis of different plant samples were carried out by LIBS and results were compared with those obtained by ICP OES after wet acid decomposition.     

Enthalpic relaxation in frozen aqueous trehalose solutions

Our object was to investigate the effect of annealing on the glass transition temperatures and enthalpic recovery of frozen aqueous solutions of trehalose. Trehalose solutions were subjected to differential scanning calorimetry wherein they were first cooled from room temperature to −60 °C, and heated to the annealing temperature, which ranged between −34 and −48 °C. Following isothermal annealing for the desired time period, the glass transition temperatures and the enthalpic recovery were determined in the final heating scan. Frozen unannealed trehalose solutions were characterized by two glass transition events. At a heating rate of 2 °C/min, the observed Tg₁′ and Tg₂′ were ∼−45 and −31 °C, respectively. Annealing resulted in an increase in the lower transition temperature, Tg₁′, while the higher transition temperature, Tg₂′, was unaffected. Enthalpic recovery due to annealing was associated only with Tg₂′. Annealing at −36 °C resulted in the highest value of Tg₁′ and the maximum enthalpic recovery. Irrespective of the heating rates, the magnitude of enthalpic recovery and Tg₁′ showed a similar trend (first an increase, followed by a decrease) as a function of annealing temperature. This suggests that annealing led to crystallization of ice and subsequently the system became maximally freeze-concentrated. Annealing, at temperatures higher than −36 °C, led to a reduction in enthalpic recovery associated with Tg₂′ and a lowering of Tg₁′. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the higher transition temperature coincides with the onset of ice melting. We have attempted to bridge two conflicting schools of thought regarding the origin of multiple glass transitions in frozen aqueous sugar solutions. The two glass transitions are attributed to the formation of two “populations” in the freeze-concentrated phase during “non-equilibrium” or rapid cooling—one, that is maximally freeze-concentrated and the other that contains a higher amount of water. The higher transition temperature also overlaps with the onset of ice melting.     

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy machine for online ash analyses in coal

Presently, online coal ash content monitoring is performed by PGNAA (Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analyses) machines. Laser Detect Systems has developed an online mineral analysis system using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The main advantages of the system are that it is without a radioactive source, compact (1.5 m × 0.8 m × 1.3 m), comparatively light (250 kg) and easy to install. The main disadvantage is that a LIBS system analyzes surface chemistry of the mineral exclusively and not the volume. To prove the LIBS machine analytical ability for coal ash content evaluation, a trial was arranged at Optimum Colliery (South Africa). The LIBS machine was installed in line with a PGNAA machine and laboratory data served as a referee in the final assessment for analytical accuracy. The trial was carried out over a four month period. This paper presents the successful trial results achieved for accurate (at least +/− 0.5% mean absolute error) online coal ash content monitoring.     

Assessment of statistical uncertainty in the quantitative analysis of solid samples in motion using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Statistical uncertainty in the quantitative analysis of solid samples in motion by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been assessed. For this purpose, a LIBS demonstrator was designed and constructed in our laboratory. The LIBS system consisted of a laboratory-scale conveyor belt, a compact optical module and a Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm. The speed of the conveyor belt was variable and could be adjusted up to a maximum speed of 2 m s^− 1. Statistical uncertainty in the analytical measurements was estimated in terms of precision (reproducibility and repeatability) and accuracy. The results obtained by LIBS on shredded scrap samples under real conditions have demonstrated that the analytical precision and accuracy of LIBS is dependent on the sample geometry, position on the conveyor belt and surface cleanliness. Flat, relatively clean scrap samples exhibited acceptable reproducibility and repeatability; by contrast, samples with an irregular shape or a dirty surface exhibited a poor relative standard deviation.     

Zinc oxide/polypyrrole nanocomposite as a novel solid phase microextraction coating for extraction of aliphatic hydrocarbons from water and soil samples

In this work, ZnO/PPy nanocomposite coating was fabricated on stainless steel and evaluated as a novel headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) fiber coating for extraction of ultra-trace amounts of environmental pollutants; namely, aliphatic hydrocarbons in water and soil samples. The ZnO/PPy nanocomposite were prepared by a two-step process including the electrochemical deposition of PPy on the surface of stainless steel in the first step, and the synthesis of ZnO nanorods by hydrothermal process in the pores of PPy matrix in the second step. Porous structure together with ZnO nanorods with the average diameter of 70 nm were observed on the surface by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effective parameters on HS-SPME of hydrocarbons (i.e., extraction temperature, extraction time, desorption temperature, desorption time, salt concentration, and stirring rate) were investigated and optimized by one-variable-at-a-time method. Under optimized conditions (extraction temperature, 65 ± 1 °C; extraction time, 15 min; desorption temperature, 250 °C; desorption time, 3 min; salt concentration, 10% w/v; and stirring rate, 1200 rpm), the limits of detection (LODs) were found in the range of 0.08–0.5 μg L⁻¹, whereas the repeatability and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were in the range 5.4–7.6% and 8.6–10.4%, respectively. Also, the accuracies obtained for the spiked n-alkanes were in the range of 85–108%; indicating the absence of matrix effects in the proposed HS-SPME method. The results obtained in this work suggest that ZnO/PPy can be promising coating materials for future applications of SPME and related sample preparation techniques.     

On-line flow injection solid sample introduction, leaching and potentiometric determination of fluoride in phosphate rock

A flow injection method with on-line solid sample dissolution was developed for the determination of fluoride in phosphate rock. The fluoride was selectively leached (98-102.4 % recovery) from a 50-mg powdered phosphate rock sample with 0.50 M citric acid. Using the zone sampling technique the fluoride in the buffered leachate was determined by injecting 87 μL into the carrier stream using a fluoride ion-selective electrode detector. The sensing element of the electrode was housed in a home-made sleeve-type flow-through cell. On-line solid sample digestion with 0.50 M citric acid at 55 °C resulted in minimum dissolution of interfering iron and aluminum ions with improved accuracy and calibration linearity. The incorporation of relatively high level of fluoride in the carrier stream (40 μg mL⁻¹) facilitated the determination of high levels of fluoride in phosphate rock (up to 4.1%) with out the need for excessive on-line dilution.The optimized flow system was applied for the determination of fluoride in phosphate rocks samples and a reference material at a rate of nine samples per hour with a relative standard deviation (n = 5) of 2.95-4.0 %. Comparison of the proposed flow injection method with the standard method, which involves steam distillation from sulfuric acid solution and manual titration with thorium nitrate, showed no evidence of bias at the 95% confidence level.     

Simultaneous multi-element analysis of total As, Se and Sb on titanium dioxide by slurry sampling-graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple and rapid method for simultaneous determination of As, Se and Sb was studied by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Titanium dioxide adsorbing As, Se and Sb was separated from sample solution (100 ml) with a membrane filtration (0.45 μm), and then prepared to be slurry (5.0 ml) by adding ultrapure water. The behavior and influence of titanium dioxide on determination of As, Se and Sb were investigated in this experiment. The optimal conditions of a furnace for these elements were chosen as follows: pyrolysis temperature was 150 °C, and atomization temperature was 2300 °C. The optimal conditions of adsorption for As, Se and Sb on titanium dioxide were listed: pH 2.0 in sample solution; 10 min of stirring time; and 20.0 mg titanium dioxide. The difference of the chemical valence of each element had no effect on the recovery of each element at the same optimal conditions. Limits of detection (3σ) for As, Se and Sb were found to be 0.21 μg l⁻¹, 0.15 μg l⁻¹ and 0.15 μg l⁻¹, respectively, with enrichment rate of 20, when 20 μl of slurry was injected into a Zr-coating tube. The proposed method was applied to tap water and river water.     

Optimising cell temperature and dispersion field strength for the screening for putrescine and cadaverine with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-differential mobility spectrometry

Biogenic amines, and putrescine and cadaverine in particular, have significant importance in the area of food quality monitoring, and are also potentially important markers of infection, for cancer, diabetes, arthritis and cystic fibrosis. A thermal desorption-gas chromatograph-heated differential mobility spectrometer was constructed and the significant effect of interactions between cell temperature and dispersion field strength on the observed responses studied. The experiment design was a Box-Wilson central composite design (CCD) over the levels of 10-24 kV cm⁻¹ for dispersion field strength and 100-130 °C for cell temperature. The optimum values were estimated to be 16.22 kV cm⁻¹ and 116 °C for putrescine and 14.78 kV cm⁻¹ and 112 °C for cadaverine, respectively with an ammonia dopant at 19 mg m⁻³.An amine test atmosphere generator was constructed and produced stable concentrations of putrescine (7 mg m⁻³) and cadaverine (4 mg m⁻³) vapours at 50 ± 0.5 °C. Tenax TA-Carbotrap adsorbent tubes were used to sample putrescine and cadaverine vapour standards and a linear response function over the range of sample masses 5-20 ng was obtained at 15.0 kV cm⁻¹ 115 °C, with a R² of 0.99 for both putrescine and cadaverine. The sample mass at the limit of detection was estimated to be 3 ng for putrescine and cadaverine. Preliminary data from sampling the headspace of chicken meat revealed a 62% increase in the recovered masses of putrescine from 0.84 to 1.36 ng in the sampled air.     

Sol-gel synthesis and characterization of LiNO3-Al2O3 composite solid electrolyte

Composite solid electrolytes in the system (1 − x)LiNO₃-xAl₂O₃, with x = 0.0-0.5 were synthesized by sol-gel method. The synthesis carried out at low temperature resulted in voluminous and fluffy products. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and AC impedance spectroscopy. Structural analysis of the samples showed base centred cell type of point lattice of LiNO₃ for the composite samples with x = 0.1-0.2 and body centred cell for the sample with x = 0.3. A trace amount of α-LiAlO₂ crystal phase was also present in these composite samples. The thermal analysis showed that the samples were in a stable phase between 48 °C and 230-260 °C. Morphological analysis indicated the presence of amorphous phase and particles with sizes ranging from micro to nanometre scale for the composite sample with x = 0.1. The conductivities of the composites were in the order of 10⁻³ and 10⁻² S cm⁻¹ at room temperature and 150 °C, respectively.     

Low-temperature heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of crystalline carboxin (C12H13NO2S)

Carboxin was synthesized and its heat capacities were measured with an automated adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 79 to 380 K. The melting point, molar enthalpy (Δ_fusH_m) and entropy (Δ_fusS_m) of fusion of this compound were determined to be 365.29±0.06 K, 28.193±0.09 kJ mol⁻¹ and 77.180±0.02 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. The purity of the compound was determined to be 99.55 mol% by using the fractional melting technique. The thermodynamic functions relative to the reference temperature (298.15 K) were calculated based on the heat capacity measurements in the temperature range between 80 and 360 K. The thermal stability of the compound was further investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The DSC curve indicates that the sample starts to decompose at ca. 290 °C with the peak temperature at 292.7 °C. The TG-DTG results demonstrate the maximum mass loss rate occurs at 293 °C corresponding to the maximum decomposition rate.     

Albumin molecularly imprinted polymer with high template affinity — Prepared by systematic optimization in mixed organic/aqueous media

An approach using systematic optimization for the formation of an albumin molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), able to separate albumin from proteins in solution, has been prepared by imprinting albumin using a copolymer comprising 3-dimethylaminopropyl methacrylate and tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate in a mole ratio of 1 to 8. Cytochrome c, lysozyme and myoglobin were used in competitive re-binding experiments to compete with the polymer's native template with all protein species present at 0.0004 g mL^− 1. The effects of: monomer to crosslinker mole ratio, polymerization temperature and time were investigated. It was found that the addition of water 6.04%, into the pre-polymerization albumin-monomer complex enhanced the adsorption capacity and selectivity of the resulting MIP from 2.18 × 10^− 3 to 6.02 × 10^− 3 g g-MIP^− 1 and 83.5% to 98.7%, respectively. These results also showed that the MIP possessed high selectivity and adsorption capacity with respect to albumin in comparison with interfering species also present in solution. Polymerization temperature, time and the water content of the pre-polymerization mixture were all shown to have significant effects on the resulting albumin-MIP's performance. However, their influence on the polymer's affinity for the potentially interfering species was negligible. Additionally, higher polymerization temperatures (> 38 °C) and extended polymerization times (> 60 h) increased monomer conversion as determined by HPLC, but decreased the selectivity and adsorption capacity of the MIP. An optimized MIP, with very high selectivity and 6.37 × 10^− 3 g g-MIP^− 1 template re-adsorption capacity was obtained using the following polymerization conditions: 0.125 mole ratio of monomer to crosslinker, 6.04 wt.% water content with respect to the mass of the monomer complex, 60 h polymerization time at 38 °C, and with 0.47% albumin in the pre-polymerization monomer complex. Finally, the functions of polymerization temperature, time and the significance of the water content in the albumin-monomer complex are also discussed.