Bisphenols (BPs) are significant endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) of global concern in aquatic environments. In this study, we developed a water-compatible molecularly imprinted mesoporous silica (SNCI) via a semi-covalent and non-covalent co-imprinting strategy for the selective recognition of BPs. SNCI exhibited high imprinting factors (7.4–43.7) and an adsorption capacity of 60.3 ± 2.2 μmol/g (n = 3). When incorporated into diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) devices, SNCI demonstrated stable sampling performance across varying pH (3.0–9.0), ionic strength (0.001–0.5 M), and dissolved organic matter (0–20 mg/L). Field validation in a wastewater treatment plant confirmed that SNCI-DGT yielded concentrations comparable to grab sampling while achieving markedly lower matrix effects (5–17%) than HLB-SPE and HLB-DGT. These results highlight the selectivity and robustness of SNCI-DGT for the in-situ monitoring of BPs, offering a promising strategy for the accurate assessment of endocrine disruptors in complex aquatic matrices.
Yang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.