Molecularly imprinted phenyl-functionalized silica aerogels: Selective adsorbents for methylxanthines and PAHs

Molecular imprinting of highly porous silica aerogels is reported for the first time and the selective adsorption of methylxanthines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been investigated. The adsorption onto surface-functionalized caffeine-imprinted silica aerogels showed the phenyl-functionalized materials to have a higher adsorption capacity than others. The characterization of imprinted and non-imprinted materials confirmed the...