Abstract: Poly(1-vinylimidazole) (PVI) resin was prepared with Ni2+, Co2+, or Zn2+ as a template to study the adsorption of metal ions. The metal-1-vinylimidazole complex was copolymerized and crosslinked with 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone by g-ray irradiation and the template metal ion was removed by treating the polymer complex with an acid. These PVI resins adsorbed metal ions more effectively than the PVI resin prepared without the template. The number of adsorption sites (As) and the stability constant (K) of Ni2+ complex were larger for the PVI resin prepared with the Ni ion template, caused by the smaller dissociation rate constant of Ni ion from the resin. The composition of the Ni2+ complex in the resin remained constant. This suggests that the complexation proceeded via a one-step mechanism.