A surface ion-imprinted mesoporous sorbent for separation and determination of Pb(II) ion by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A surface-imprinted mesoporous sorbent for Pb(II) ion was synthesized by the post-synthesis method. The material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The adsorption by the material was studied by batch experiments with respect to effects of pH value, contact time, kinetics, and adsorption isotherms. Both the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model fit the experimental data well. Compared to other imprints for Pb(II), to the traditional sorbents and to the non-imprinted polymer, the new sorbent displays fast kinetics and higher selectivity. Pb(II) ion can be desorbed from the imprint with 2 M hydrochloric acid with high efficiency. The sorbent was applied to the selective separation and determination of Pb(II) in water and sediment samples with satisfactory results.