Polydopamine as Biomimetic Macromolecule for Molecularly Imprinted Fluorescent Carbon Dots: A Selective Sensor for Methyl Paraben Detection

Polydopamine is a biomimetic macromolecule utilized as both a functional monomer and cross linker in molecular imprinting to construct a sensing material integrated with rice husk‐derived fluorescent carbon dots (MIFCDs‐PDA) for the recognition of methyl paraben (MeP). The sensing process utilizes specific cavities on the probe surface to recognize MeP selectively. This leads to fluorescence quenching via photoinduced electron transfer between MIFCDs‐PDA and MeP, enabling rapid detection within 8 min. Under optimized experimental conditions, the MIFCDs‐PDA can detect MeP up to the detection limit of 0.16 ng mL −1 , with excellent linearity over the 1.00–50.00 ng mL −1 range. Additionally, the method can detect MeP from tap, river, and wastewater samples with recoveries of 96.90%–100.61% and good precision (relative standard deviation < 5%). This study presents a promising method for developing efficient fluorescent probes from biowaste. It showcases MIFCDs‐PDA's potential for selective MeP determination in various environmental compartments, suggesting avenues for future research and potential applications in environmental monitoring and safety.