A melanin-integrated graphene quantum dots embedded molecularly imprinted polymer: A nano-fluorescence sensing probe for trace determination of prometryn

Abstract

A nanocomposite fluorescence sensing probe was successfully designed and utilized for the ultrasensitive and highly selective determination of prometryn. The nanoprobe incorporated melanin nanoparticles, as an affinity material, and nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) as fluorophores in molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). Multiple techniques were employed to characterize the synthesized essential precursors and MIP fluorescent nanoprobe. The developed nanoprobe was then applied to detect prometryn, demonstrating linearity from 1.0 to 100.0 μg kg−1 with a limit of detection of 0.63 μg kg−1. When used to determine prometryn in real samples, the developed nanoprobe achieved recoveries from 92.4 % to 102.8 % with RSDs less than 5.4 %. The simplicity, reliability, selectivity and sensitivity of the proposed sensor indicated that the combination of MIP and eco-friendly materials produced an excellent fluorescent sensor for the detection of trace analytes.