The anthrone-based dummy molecularly imprinted membrane (DIM) was successfully synthesized using a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) approach for the selective recognition and adsorption of fluorene and phenanthrene in aqueous systems. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the successful incorporation of functional groups, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a uniform porous morphology favorable for analyte diffusion. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated good thermal stability, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) analyses indicated an enhanced surface area and mesoporous structure that supported improved adsorption performance. Adsorption isotherm studies revealed favorable adsorption behavior, with the maximum adsorption capacities of the DIM calculated to be 130.857 mg/g for fluorene and 453.030 mg/g for phenanthrene. The imprinting factors (IFs) were approximately 2.01 for fluorene and 2.17 for phenanthrene, confirming the successful imprinting effect. The recovery values achieved were 86.61% for fluorene and 92.40% for phenanthrene, demonstrating the efficiency and selectivity of the fabricated membrane. These results highlight the potential application of the anthrone-based DIM in the environmental monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

A dummy molecularly imprinted polymer was synthesized using anthrone as a dummy template, styrene as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinker, and benzoyl peroxide as the initiator for the selective adsorption of fluorene and phenanthrene. The interactions between anthrone and styrene were evaluated by UV–vis titration and Job’s plot to determine the optimal binding stoichiometry. FTIR, TGA, SEM and BET-BJH analyses confirmed effective template removal and the formation of recognition cavities. Isotherm studies showed that fluorene adsorption followed the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.9988), with a maximum adsorption capacity of 12.221 mg g−1 and a Langmuir constant of 5.293 L mg−1. In contrast, the Freundlich model best described the adsorption of phenanthrene (R2 = 0.9997), yielding a Freundlich constant of 24.463 (mg g−1)(L mg−1)1/n and a 1/n value of 0.288. Kinetic analysis revealed pseudo-second-order model behavior (R2 > 0.99), with rate constants of 0.261 g mg−1 min−1 for phenanthrene and 0.0059 g mg−1 min−1 for fluorene. Thermodynamic evaluations indicated that phenanthrene adsorption was enthalpy-driven and exothermic, whereas fluorene adsorption was entropy-driven and endothermic. Both adsorption processes were spontaneous, confirming the potential of the anthrone-based dummy molecularly imprinted polymer as an efficient sorbent for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.