Fluorometric determination of acetamiprid using molecularly imprinted upconversion nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Pesticide detection is crucial for food safety and environmental monitoring.
• Existing methods for acetamiprid detection often face challenges with sensitivity and selectivity.
• Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer unique optical properties for sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent nanoprobe for acetamiprid determination.
• To integrate UCNPs with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for enhanced sensing capabilities.
• To validate the nanoprobe's performance in real-world sample matrices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of SiO2-coated NaYF4: Yb, Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs).
• Encapsulation of UCNPs with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) using acetamiprid as the template molecule.
• Characterization of the UCNP@MIP nanoprobe and evaluation of its fluorescence quenching response to acetamiprid.

Main Results:

• The UCNP@MIP nanoprobe exhibited high selectivity for acetamiprid with an imprinting factor of 7.84.
• A good linear relationship was observed between decreased fluorescence intensity and acetamiprid concentration (20–800 ng mL−1).
• The method achieved a low limit of detection of 8.3 ng mL−1 and demonstrated successful application in apple and strawberry samples with high recoveries (89.6–97.9%).

Conclusions:

• The developed imprinted fluorescent nanoprobe offers a promising tool for sensitive and selective acetamiprid detection.
• The integration of UCNPs and MIPs significantly enhances sensing performance.
• The method's successful application in food samples highlights its practical utility for pesticide residue analysis.