Biowaste-Derived Carbon Dots-Based Molecularly Imprinted Fluorescent Nanosensor for Selective Detection of Rutin

In this work, Waste pine nut shells were used as organic carbon source of biomass to synthesize carbon quantum dots. A highly responsive and selective fluorescent nanosensor (Si-doped biomass-derived carbon dots with molecular imprinted polymers, Si-CDs@MIPs) was designed for determination of Rutin (RT) in Chinese herbal substances like Sophora japonica L. . Not only was the synthesis method simple, environmentally friendly but also can selectively capture and specifically recognize the target compound RT, which was accomplished by a single-step hydrothermal process. The RT content in the real sample is 21%, with a recovery rate ranging from 89.7 to 106.3%, demonstrating excellent reproducibility. The nanosensor can selectively detect RT at a detection limit of 12.5 nmol/L. Therefore, it is showed that Si-CDs@MIPs will be feasible as a sensor for the rapid measurement of RT.