This article describes the investigation of molecularly imprinted fluorescent polymer membranes as sensing receptors for Hg2+ detection by an optical approach. The polymers were synthesized with 4-vinylpyridine as a functional monomer and Hg2+ as a template; 9-vinylcarbazole was used as both a complex-forming agent and a fluorescence probe. The free-radical polymerization was performed within a semicylindrical Teflon mold and was initiated by 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile at 60 degrees C. The template, ion-bonded to pyridine and carbazole groups in the polymer membrane, was removed by acid treatment. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements and scanning electron microscopy images were used to compare the chemistry and surface morphology, respectively, of both imprinted and nonimprinted polymer materials. The final polymer membranes with semicylindrical shapes were used directly to determine Hg2+ concentration in aqueous solutions by the monitoring of the fluorescence intensity of the carbazole groups quenched upon complex formation with metal ions. The values of the Hg2+ binding ratio for the imprinted and nonimprinted polymeric membranes were compared, and the results indicate the superior sensitivity and selectivity of the imprinted membranes. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 117: 2373-2379, 2010