A hybrid molecularly imprinted polymer coated quantum dot nanocomposite optosensor for highly sensitive and selective determination of salbutamol in animal feeds and meat samples.

A hybrid molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated quantum dot (QD) nanocomposite was synthesized and applied as a fluorescence probe for the highly sensitive and selective determination of salbutamol. The hybrid MIP-coated QD nanocomposite was synthesized via a copolymerization process in the presence of thioglycolic acid capped CdTe QDs with salbutamol as a template, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the functional monomer, and tetraethyl orthosilicate as a cross-linker. The optimum molar ratio of template, monomer, and cross-linker was 1:6:20. The fluorescence intensity of the hybrid MIP-coated QDs was efficiently quenched after salbutamol rebound to the recognition sites, as a result of charge transfer from QDs to salbutamol. The synthesized hybrid MIP-coated QD nanocomposite showed high sensitivity and good selectivity toward salbutamol. Under the optimal recognition conditions, the fluorescence intensity was quenched linearly with increasing concentration of salbutamol in the range from 0.10 to 25.0 μg L, with a detection limit of 0.034 μg L. The hybrid optosensor developed was successfully applied in the determination of salbutamol in animal feeds and meat samples. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the range from 85% to 98%, with a standard deviation of less than 8%. Furthermore, the accuracy of the hybrid MIP-coated QD nanocomposite was investigated by comparison with a conventional high-performance liquid chromatography method, with the results obtained with two methods agreeing well with each other. The advantages of this sensing method are simplicity, rapidity, cost-effectiveness, high sensitivity, and good selectivity. Graphical Abstract The synthesis of hybrid MIP-coated QDs nanocomposite.