A fluorescent microsensor for the selective detection of bifenthrin

Based on the fluorescence quenching phenomenon, a smart fluorescent microsensor was synthesized. The bifenthrin (BI) microsensor inherited the high selectivity of molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) and the excellent fluorescence properties of aqueous CdTe quantum dots (QDs). Aqueous CdTe QDs are functionalized by octadecyl-4-vinylbenzyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride (OVDAC). A type of functional monomer, 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA), was used and its boronic acid groups could covalently combine with a cis-diol compound for direct imprinting polymerization. The OVDAC-functionalized aqueous CdTe QDs were used as solid supports and auxiliary monomers. Under optimal conditions, experimentation showed that BI had a linear detection range of 10 to 300 μmol L(−1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9968 and a high imprinting factor (IF) of 4.53. In addition, the prepared MIP-OVDAC/CdTe QDs were successfully used to detect BI in water samples. Therefore, this work provided a highly selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for the detection of BI. In addition, the fluorescence probe could be used to detect other targets by changing the functional monomers.