An optical sensor for selective detection of phenol via double cross-linker precipitation polymerization

Based on the electron-transfer mechanism between the template and quantum dots (QDs), an optical sensor was structured. It is a phenol sensor, which has the room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) property of Mn-doped ZnS QDs and high selectivity of molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs). On the surface of the silane modified Mn-doped ZnS QDs, the phenol sensor was prepared by double cross-linker precipitation polymerization in the absence of any stabilizer and additive. Double cross-linkers, divinylbenzene (DVB) and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), make a great contribution to the imprinted polymerization with hydrogen-bonding interaction. Then, as a result of the functional monomer, methacrylic acid (MAA), a carboxylic acid was grafted onto the surface of ZnS QDs:Mn@MIPs. Under optimal conditions, the phenol determination experiment had a linear range of 5.0 to 55 μmol L(−1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9984, and a high imprinting factor (IF) of 3.43. In addition, the prepared ZnS QDs:Mn@MIPs were successfully used to detect phenol in real water samples. Therefore, this work provided a highly selective and sensitive RTP probe for phenol determination.