Silanized carbon dot-based thermo-sensitive molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor for bovine hemoglobin detection

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Bovine hemoglobin (BHb) detection is crucial for various biological and diagnostic applications.
• Developing selective and sensitive detection methods for target proteins remains a challenge.
• Fluorescent sensors offer advantages in sensitivity and real-time monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a novel thermo-sensitive molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor for the selective detection of bovine hemoglobin (BHb).
• To leverage the properties of silanized carbon dots (CD@SiO2) and molecular imprinting for enhanced sensor performance.
• To evaluate the sensor's performance in terms of recognition, detection limits, and application in real biological samples.

Main Methods:

• Surface molecular imprinting technique using N-isopropylacrylamide as a thermo-sensitive monomer and BHb as the template.
• Construction of silanized carbon dots coated by a molecularly imprinted polymer (CD@SiO2@MIP).
• Characterization using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• The CD@SiO2@MIP sensor demonstrated high recognition and detection performance for BHb.
• A linear detection range of 0.31–1.55 μM and a detection limit of 1.55 μM were achieved.
• The sensor showed excellent recovery rates (98.6–100.5%) when applied to real urine samples for BHb detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed thermo-sensitive molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity for BHb detection.
• The combination of fluorescent carbon dots and molecular imprinting is effective for protein sensing.
• The CD@SiO2@MIP sensor holds significant potential for practical applications in biological systems and diagnostics.