Mesoporous structured MIPs@CDs fluorescence sensor for highly sensitive detection of TNT

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Developing sensitive and selective sensors for explosive detection is crucial for security and environmental monitoring.
• Traditional methods for TNT detection often face challenges with sensitivity, selectivity, and complex sample matrices.
• Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) offer a promising platform for creating recognition sites, but their integration with fluorescent nanomaterials requires facile strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile and efficient strategy for preparing mesoporous structured molecularly imprinted polymers capped carbon dots (M-MIPs@CDs) for highly sensitive and selective TNT determination.
• To investigate the use of amino-functionalized carbon dots (amino-CDs) as direct functional monomers in the imprinting process.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed M-MIPs@CDs sensor in real-world environmental samples.

Main Methods:

• A facile imprinting strategy was employed using periodic mesoporous silica as the imprinting matrix and amino-CDs as the functional monomer.
• The M-MIPs@CDs were synthesized and characterized for their structural and optical properties.
• The fluorescence quenching mechanism upon TNT binding was investigated.
• The sensor's selectivity, sensitivity (limit of detection), reusability, and performance in soil and water samples were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The developed M-MIPs@CDs exhibited excellent selectivity and high sensitivity towards TNT, with a detection limit of 17 nM.
• The sensor demonstrated good reusability, maintaining efficiency over 10 cycles.
• Satisfactory recoveries (88.6-95.7%) were achieved when analyzing TNT in real soil and water samples, validating the method's feasibility.
• The use of amino-CDs simplified the imprinting process and enhanced recognition site accessibility.

Conclusions:

• A convenient and practical method for preparing highly sensitive and selective fluorescence MIPs@CDs sensors was successfully established.
• The M-MIPs@CDs fluorescence sensor offers a promising tool for the rapid and reliable detection of TNT in environmental matrices.
• This strategy of using amino-CDs as direct functional monomers provides a simplified approach for developing advanced MIP-based sensors.