Antibiotic residues can cause serious health risks by contaminating products for human consumption, such as meat and
milk. The present study developed a reliable and sensitive method based on spectrofluorometric detections to determine
Florfenicol (FF) residues in milk samples. N–S co-doped carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized through a fast and straightforward
microwave-assisted method with tri-ammonium citrate as precursor and thiourea as the sulfur source. The synthesis
was performed under microwave irradiation at 400 W for 2.5 min. The CDs were incorporated into a molecularly
imprinted polymer (MIP) prepared with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane as the monomer and crosslinker,
respectively. The CDs@MIP composite demonstrated excellent fluorescence stability with specific binding sites,
which selectively accumulated FF as the target analyte and was used as a selective sensor for the fluorometric determination
of FF. The photoluminescence intensity of the CDs@MIP composite was quenched in the presence of FF but not with other
drugs or substances. This fact indicates the selective behavior of the new material toward FF as the template. Under optimal
conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity of MIP-coated CDs decreased linearly with increasing the concentration of
FF from 3.00 μmol L−
1 to 1.50 × 102
μmol L−
1, and its detection limit was 1.11 μmol L−
1. The new sensor was evaluated
for FF detection in spiked milk samples and showed recoveries of 90.86–97.71%. The method proposed the advantages of
simplicity, sensitivity, selectivity, and low cost. |