Fluorescence turn-on recognition of trace acetamiprid in seawater using selective molecularly imprinted polymer-based nanoprobe

A novel imprinted composite nanoprobe for fluorescence turn-on recognition of acetamiprid was fabricated and applied to rapidly and sensitively detect trace-level acetamiprid in seawater. The fluorescent probe was prepared using modified fluorescein isothiocyanate as a response unit to improve the sensitivity of signal transmission. The quantitative analysis of acetamiprid was obtained by measuring fluorescence enhancement efficiency of the probe. Under optimal conditions, a good linear relationship with a determination coefficient of 0.9988 was demonstrated in the range of 0–45 μg L −1 and the limit of detection was 1.5 μg L −1 . The developed fluorescence-enhancing nanoprobe was utilized in determination of acetamiprid in seawater samples and achieved recoveries from 96.00 % to 104.00 % with the relative standard deviations <5.88 % ( n  = 3). This study offered a promising strategy for simple, reliable and sensitive detection of acetamiprid by embedding fluorescent dye in molecularly imprinted material as highly selective probes.