Atrazine transforming polymer prepared by molecular imprinting with post-imprinting process

Molecularly imprinted polymers bearing atrazine transforming activity were prepared by using newly designed templates that are atrazine analogues attached with an allyl or a styryl group via a disulfide bond at the 6-position, methacrylic acid as a functional monomer and styrene/divinylbenzene as crosslinkers. After polymerization, the disulfide bond was reduced to remove the atrazine moiety from the polymer matrix, followed by oxidation of the remaining thiol group to generate sulfonic acid (post-imprinting treatment), so that both a methacrylic acid residue and a sulfonic acid residue existed in an atrazine-imprinted cavity. The polymers indicated the selective binding of triazine herbicides and catalytic activity for methanolysis at the 6-position of atrazine, yielding a low toxic atraton.