Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers on carbon quantum dots for fluorescent sensing of tetracycline in milk

In this paper, a novel, selective and eco-friendly sensor for the detection of tetracycline was developed by grafting imprinted polymers onto the surface of carbon quantum dots. A simple microwave-assisted approach was utilized to fabricate the fluorescent imprinted composites rapidly for the first time, which could shorten the polymerization time and simplify the experimental procedure dramatically. The novel composites not only demonstrated excellent fluorescence stability and special binding sites, but also could selectively accumulate target analytes. Under optimal conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity of the composites decreased linearly with increasing the concentration of tetracycline from 20nM to 14µM. The detection limit of tetracycline was 5.48nM. The precision and reproducibility of the proposed sensor were also acceptable. Significantly, the practicality of this ultrasensitive sensor for tetracycline detection in milk was further validated, revealing the advantages of simplicity, sensitivity, selectivity and low cost. This approach combines the high selective adsorption property of molecular imprinted polymers and the sensitivity of fluorescence detection. It is envisioned that the development of fluorescent molecularly imprinted composites will offer a new way of thinking for rapid analysis in complex samples. [Display omitted] •Microwave heating technique was firstly applied to the efficient preparation of CDs@MIPs.•The reaction time was shortened and the experimental procedure was simplified.•The sensor based on CDs@MIPs exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity.•The proposed eco-friendly sensor was able to determine trace Tc in milk samples with satisfactory results.