Highly sensitive determination of 4-nitrophenol with coumarin-based fluorescent molecularly imprinted poly (ionic liquid)

Abstract A coumarin-based fluorescent molecularly imprinted poly (ionic liquid) (FL-MIPIL) was prepared using a new coumarin-based alkenyl fluorescent ionic liquid (coumarin-FL-IL) as the functional monomer, IL [V2C4(mim)2][(PF6)2] and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linkers, and 4-NP as the template molecule. The absolute quantum yields of coumarin-FL-IL and FL-MIPIL were 7.26% and 30.66%, respectively. As a result of the electron transfer between coumarin-FL-IL which contains amino groups and 4-NP bearing hydroxyl groups, FL-MIPIL fluorescence was effectively quenched by 4-NP. The prepared FL-MIPIL sensor can rapidly respond to 4-NP within 60 s. The FL-MIPIL sensor had good linear response to 4-NP from 0.001 to 7.5 μM and low detection limit of 0.5 nM (S/N = 3). The FL-MIPIL sensor exhibited high sensitivity and good selectivity for 4-NP. The outstanding performance of FL-MIPIL could be ascribed to high fluorescence intensity of FL-MIPIL without matrixes and more interactions between FL-MIPIL and 4-NP. The FL-MIPIL sensor has successfully applied to the determination of 4-NP in lake, rain and waste water samples, river sediment, soil and urine samples.