Issue 2, 2017

One-pot synthesis of a quantum dot-based molecular imprinting nanosensor for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of 4-nitrophenol in environmental waters

Abstract

A novel molecular imprinting fluorescence nanosensor was constructed via a facile surface imprinting polymerization one-pot synthesis strategy for highly selective and sensitive recognition and detection of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) based on an electron-transfer induced fluorescence quenching mechanism. 2-Aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride (AMA) was first used as a surfactant to interact with aqueous carboxyl-CdTe quantum dots (QDs) and the resultant AMA-modified QDs were used as a core support and a fluorescent signal source. Then, an ultrathin 4-NP imprinted shell (ca. 4 nm) was formed on the QD surface (i.e., QD@MIPs) by a simple facile free radical polymerization step. The one-pot synthesis simplified the imprinting process and shortened the experimental period. The imprinted sites bound the template of 4-NP efficiently through the hydrogen bonding interactions and showed excellent recognition selectivity for 4-NP over its analogues with a high imprinting factor of 9.1. The electron transfer process between QDs and 4-NP led to significant fluorescence quenching of the QD@MIPs nanosensor, by which 4-NP could be sensed, and high detection sensitivity up to 0.051 μM was attained. Furthermore, the sensor was successfully applied to determine 4-NP in seawater and lake water samples, presenting high recoveries in the range of 92.7–109.2% at three spiking levels with the relative standard deviation within 3.1–4.8%. The simple, rapid, reliable QD@MIPs-based method proved to be potentially applicable for the highly selective and sensitive fluorescence determination of trace 4-NP in complicated environmental water samples.

Graphical abstract: One-pot synthesis of a quantum dot-based molecular imprinting nanosensor for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of 4-nitrophenol in environmental waters

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 ספט 2016
Accepted
12 דצמ 2016
First published
15 דצמ 2016

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2017,4, 493-502

One-pot synthesis of a quantum dot-based molecular imprinting nanosensor for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of 4-nitrophenol in environmental waters

J. Yu, X. Wang, Q. Kang, J. Li, D. Shen and L. Chen, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2017, 4, 493 DOI: 10.1039/C6EN00395H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements