## 3 Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer
The NIP, on the other hand, possesses a distinct roughness and a smoother surface. Similarly with [PERSON] et al. [90] that investigated the use of propyl gallate (PrG) as a template in a MIP cartridge. Shows that the morphology of MIP displayed a rougher and more porous surface compared to NIP. [PERSON] et al. [91] also reported that the surface morphology and image of the MIP had rough surface with an irregular order. As the pore sizes of the samples ranged from 2 to 50 nm, the polymers were classified as mesoporous. The morphology of MIPs that characterized by SEM via the suspension technique was discuss detailed by [PERSON] et al. [85] to synthesis MIPs for the selective extraction of  
Figure 6: SEM images of hypericin-based (**a**,**b**) MIP and (**c**,**d**) NIP [77]. Figure 7: SEM microscopic images of crushed polymers produced by the bulk polymerization method. (**A**,**B**) shows the MIP particles, while (**C**) shows the NIP particles [74]. 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HB). It shows that the MIP particles were spherical, with sizes ranging from 1 to 8 \(\upmu\)m, with a peak value of 5 \(\upmu\)m, while the MIP microspheres have an average diameter of 4.8 \(\upmu\)m. On the other hand, the NIP microspheres have an average size of 4.5 \(\upmu\)m and a peak value of 5 \(\upmu\)m. The MIP microspheres have a rougher surface structure than the NIP microspheres. In addition, the MIP's uniform and accessible structure makes it more favorable towards 4-HB adsorption. Similarly, as [PERSON] et al. [92] shows that the MIPMs and NIPMs were spherical and possess a smooth surface with particle sizes in the \(\upmu\)m range. The MIPM particles, which had an average particle diameter of 150 \(\upmu\)m, were smaller than the NIPM particles with 250 \(\upmu\)m in diameter. In BET characterization, [PERSON] et al. [92] shows that the MIP had a specific area of 283.92 m\({}^{2}\) g\({}^{-1}\), whereas the NIP had a specific area of 253.34 m\({}^{2}\) g\({}^{-1}\). The template's binding force with the function monomer may have forced the MIPMs to be tighter and smaller, resulting in a more significant specific area and tremendous adsorption advantage over the NIPMs. The surface of the MIPMs had denser and more uniform micropores than the NIPMs. Furthermore, the presence of a template was thought to have an impact on the polymer morphology. As such, the MIPMs' uniform and open structure made it easier to remove and embed the target molecule compared to NIPMs. In a precipitation polymerization, the morphology was discussed by [PERSON] et al. [93]. The SEM analysis shows that spherical particles were obtained with a diameter of around 0.2 \(\upmu\)m for the MIPs, while an interconnected-irregular bulk was observed in the NIPs. This morphological characterization shows the successful synthesis of MIPs and further proves by [PERSON] et al. [60] revealed that MIP particles were spherical and well dispersed. The morphology of MIP\({}_{\text{AM}}\) synthesized at various crosslinkers is illustrated in Figure 8. The particle size of the MIP (M8) was small at crosslinker = 3 (Figure 8a), and it failed to form stable spheres, as the crosslinker increases from 4:1 to 5:1 [Figure 8c], the MIP particles gradually disperse and form microspheres (M9) with relatively consistent diameters of \(\sim\)2.1 \(\upmu\)m. (M6). MIPs using different monomers showed a similar pattern. Besides that, SEM micrographs for some of the polymer obtained from [PERSON] et al. [61] study are shown in Figure 9. This illustrating the influence of the synthesis conditions on MIP morphology. MIP1 and MIP2 (MAA and 4 VP as functional monomers, respectively, both with ACN/MeOH as solvent) produced particles with a diameter less than 1 \(\upmu\)m. The latter appeared to have a higher agglomeration. MIP3 (AAm as a functional monomer in ACN/MeOH) was used to generate aggregates consisting of particles with a particle diameter of less than \(\sim\)2 \(\upmu\)m, and a mild agglomeration phenomenon was observed.