Biowaste-Derived Carbon Dots-Based Molecularly Imprinted Fluorescent Nanosensor for Selective Detection of Rutin

In this work, Waste pine nut shells were used as organic carbon source of biomass to synthesize carbon quantum dots. A highly responsive and selective fluorescent nanosensor (Si-doped biomass-derived carbon dots with molecular imprinted polymers, Si-CDs@MIPs) was designed for determination of Rutin (RT) in Chinese herbal substances like Sophora japonica L.. Not only was the synthesis method simple, environmentally friendly but also can selectively capture and specifically recognize the target compound RT, which was accomplished by a single-step hydrothermal process. The RT content in the real sample is 21%, with a recovery rate ranging from 89.7 to 106.3%, demonstrating excellent reproducibility. The nanosensor can selectively detect RT at a detection limit of 12.5 nmol/L. Therefore, it is showed that Si-CDs@MIPs will be feasible as a sensor for the rapid measurement of RT.