nargess yousefi limaee

The accumulation of heavy metal ions in ecosystems poses a significant threat to humans and other organisms, leading to various diseases such as cancer, skin diseases, cardiovascular and blood disorders. Therefore, the adsorption and detection of heavy metal ions is constantly needed. The adsorption method is favored due to its flexibility, speed, ease of use, minimal environmental impact, and cost-effectiveness. 00Among various adsorbents, ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) have garnered attention for the identification and removal of metal ions due to their high selectivity, significant concentration factor, and robust chemical stability .This study reviews research conducted over the past two decades. The first section covers the primary polymerization methods, components, and techniques used in producing IIPs. The second section delves into synthesis parameters, adsorption performance, and the use of IIPs as sorbents for heavy metals. Additionally, the final section discusses the application of IIPs in the colorimetric detection of heavy metals, particularly lead ions. The use of specific ligands to induce a detectable color change is emphasized as a key factor in this process. The results of this study highlight the successful application of IIPs for both the removal and colorimetric detection of lead ions in aqueous solutions.

In this work, the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes was studied employing zinc oxide based nanocomposites. In this purpose, ZnO based nanocomposites were synthesized using three different procedures including co-precipitation, hydrothermal and combustion methods. The samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, IR and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Afterwards, the prepared samples were utilized for the photocatalytic degradation of Direct Red 23 (DR23). The effect of operational parameters containing photocatalyst amount, time, pH and dye concentration were investigated as effective factors on photocatalytic degradation process. The results represented that the particles synthesized by combustion method was the appropriate one for the decolorization of DR23. In this regards, the decolorization percentage of 97.5% was attained using 0.08 g photocatalyst and dye concentration of 20 mg L-1 after 120 min.

Optical sensors and biosensors have the great potential to detect metal cations, anions, organic dyes, drugs, pesticides and other contaminants. These sensors are considered for their easy preparation, fast sensing, high sensitivity and selectivity, as well as naked eye detection. Optical sensors are divided into two categories of colorimetric and fluorescent sensors. In this regard, molecularly imprinted polymers, indicators, nanomaterials (metal nanoparticles, metal oxides, quantum dots) and etc. are used for the designation of optical sensors. The fabrication of MIP-based optical sensors is one of the considerable methods for the preparation of optical sensors. This method, known as the molecular lock-key method, for creating molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) which are complement to template molecules in shape, size, and functional groups. These materials are similar to biological systems in structure and application that result from the copolymerization of functional monomers and crosslinkers in the presence of the target molecule. These polymers are used for the detection, separation and removal of trace amount of various contaminants in complex substrates. For the preparation of MIP-based sensors, fluorescent functional monomers and dyes including coumarins, xanthenes, naphthalimides, carbazoles, boron dipyrromethenes, azo dyes, schiff bases and etc. are used. Therefore, in this study, various applications of MIPs including environmental, pharmaceutical and medical usage through separation, biomimetic assays, sustained delivery and release, new application areas and specially, optical sensors (synthesis process and its mechanism), will be expressed. In addition, recent developments and commercialization of MIPs and MIP based sensors, will be discussed as well as the introduction of some active companies in this field.