Magnetic Carbon Dots Based Molecularly Imprinted Fluorescence Probe for Selective Detection of Diclofenac

ABSTRACT A highly sensitive and efficient magnetic‐carbon dot molecularly imprinted polymer (M‐CD/MIP) was developed for the selective detection of diclofenac (DCF). The M‐CD/MIP probe combines the magnetic separation features of iron oxide, the fluorescent characteristics of CDs, and the molecular identification proficiency of MIPs to fulfill its design objectives. This synergistic integration imparts magnetic responsivity (19.01 emu g −1 ), high spectrofluorometric sensitivity (LOD = 1.65 ng/mL), fast detection (6 min), and selectivity for DCF. The method effectively detected DCF in hospital and sewage water with recoveries ranging from 96% to 103.7%. The fluorescent sensing probe M‐CD/MIP developed in this study offers an effective solution for the rapid and easy detection of DCF in environmental and aquatic samples.