Quantum dot based molecularly imprinted polymer test strips for fluorescence detection of ferritin

A test strip for selective detection of ferritin was prepared via an integration of molecular imprinting technology and multicolor fluorescence elements. The synthesized nanoparticle of ferritin fluorescence molecularly imprinted polymers (FerFLMIPs) showed a fast kinetic feature and the data fitted a pseudo-second-order model. The selectivity experiment displayed that the FerFLMIPs had a much higher specificity for ferritin than that for the control proteins. In addition, the color of the FerFLMIPs changed gradually from green to red with the increment of ferritin concentration. Therefore, a manageable and rapid method for visual detection of ferritin was constructed by the combination of FerFLMIPs and test strips. This work thus provides a practical method for direct and minitype detection of targeted analytes. • A novel strategy for preparing fluorescence molecularly imprinted polymer test strips for ferritin detection. • This strategy was used for simple and visual detection of ferritin. • This method was applied to biological fluids for ferritin detection.