A novel molecular imprinting method for the preparation of molecularly imprinted poly(methacrylic acid)/silica hybrid composite materials (MIP-HCMs) for the selective recognition of lincomycin (LIN) in aqueous media by prepolymerization and free-radical copolymerization was investigated. In this study, methacrylic acid was selected as the functional monomer, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane was used as the crosslinker, and tetraethoxysilane was used as the inorganic precursor. MIP-HCM was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, the BrunauerEmmettTeller method, and TGA. The selectivity of the sorbent was investigated by a batch competitive binding experiment with an aqueous LIN and clindamycin (CLI) mixture. The selectivity coefficient for LIN in the presence of CLI was 6.27, whereas the relative selectivity coefficient between LIN and CLI was 5.83. The absorption capability of MIP-HCM and the selectivity coefficient were much higher than those of the nonimprinted blank polymer. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2012