Surface molecularly imprinted polymers based ZnO quantum dots as fluorescence sensors for detection of diethylhexyl phthalate with high sensitivity and selectivity

This work describes the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers using ZnO quantum dots, which were used for the selective detection of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Methacrylic acid, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) and ZnO were used as functional monomer, crosslinker, initiator and optical material, respectively. Molecularly imprinted polymers were successfully synthesized, and the linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and amount was from 0.5 to 40 µmol L −1 for DEHP. The coefficient of correlation was 0.9923 and the imprinting factor was 11.16. The results were above 97.50% and relative standard deviation below 3.86% for the detection of DEPH in actual water samples. This study could provide a novel method using molecularly imprinted polymers for highly selective and sensitive detection of DEHP. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry