Polyester copolymer sorbent materials that incorporate beta-Cyclodextrin (beta-CD) were prepared using water-in-oil (w/o) micro-emulsion conditions at variable beta-CD: cross linker mole ratios; where the cross linker units were sebacoyl chloride (SCl) and terephthaloyl chloride (TCl). The copolymers were characterized using TGA, nitrogen adsorption, and NMR/IR spectroscopy. The dye-based sorption properties of the copolymers with p-nitrophenol (PNP) in aqueous solution were evaluated at pH 4.6 and 295 K using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The uptake of PNP varied from 0.221 to 0.352 mmol/g, according to the nature of the cross linker and the copolymer mole ratio. The sorption capacity of SCl-based copolymers exceed that for TCl-based copolymers, and correlate with the relative swelling properties and hydrated surface areas of the sorbent frameworks. H-1 NMR spectroscopy of copolymers with low levels of linker content (i.e. SCl or TCl) indicate dual sorption sites for PNP (i.e. beta-CD inclusion sites and non-inclusion (interstitial) linker domains). The existence of dual sorption sites is similarly concluded for copolymers containing higher levels of cross linker. Inclusion complexes are firstly formed between PNP and the beta-CD inclusion sites of the copolymer; thereafter, PNP is adsorbed onto the linker domains of the copolymer sorbent framework. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.