Molecularly imprinted particle for bisphenol A (BPA-MIP) was prepared using the surface molecular imprinting technique with a sol-gel process on the surface of silica nanoparticles. The dosages of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) as a functional monomer and teraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a cross-linker were optimized, respectively. The prepared BPA-MIP was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and a standard Brunauer-Emett-Teller (BET) analysis. Moreover, the proper binding and selective recognition ability were also investigated by a single batch binding experiment. The equilibrium data fitted well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Langmuir model for BPA binding onto BPA-MIP, respectively. The saturate binding capacity of BPA-MIP was found to be 30.26 mu mol g(-1), which was three times higher than that of BPA non-molecular imprinted particle (BPA-NIP). The satisfactory results demonstrated that the obtained BPA-MIP showed an appreciable binding specificity toward BPA than similar structural compounds in water phase. The BPA-MIP could serve as an efficient selective material for determining or removing BPA from water environment. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.