Efficient and selective separation of metronidazole from human serum by using molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles.

Magnetic molecularly imprinted nanoparticles were prepared through surface-initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization by using metronidazole as a template. The molecularly imprinted magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The adsorption characteristics were also investigated and the kinetics of the adsorption of metronidazole on the imprinted nanoparticles were described by the second-order kinetic model with the short equilibrium adsorption time (30 min).