A Surface-Imprinted Fluorescent Sensor Exploiting CsPbBr3@ZIF-8 for Selective and Sensitive Detection of Dopamine

Accurate detection of dopamine (DA), a vital catecholamine neurotransmitter, is crucial for evaluating neurological functions and diagnosing related disorders. To address the challenges posed by complex biological matrices and trace DA concentrations, a robust fluorescent sensor was constructed by integrating molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with ZIF-8-encapsulated CsPbBr 3 perovskite quantum dots (CsPbBr 3 @ZIF-8@MIPs). In this rational design, the ZIF-8 shell serves as a protective barrier, effectively preventing CsPbBr 3 from degradation in polar solvents, while the surface-imprinted layer provides high-affinity and selective recognition sites for DA. The sensor exhibits a favorable linear response in the range of 5–400 nM, with an ultralow detection limit of 4.85 nM and a rapid response within 30s. When applied to clinical serum samples from Parkinson’s disease patients, the sensor achieved satisfactory recoveries ranging from 96.83% to 109.72%, showing high consistency with the results obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This work provides a reliable strategy for DA detection and demonstrates promising potential for biomedical sensing and clinical diagnosis.