A molecularly imprinted antibiotic receptor on magnetic nanotubes for the detection and removal of environmental oxytetracycline

The detection and elimination of antibiotic contaminants, such as oxytetracychne (OTC), a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic, would be of help in efficient environmentaL monitoring, agriculture and food safety tests. Nevertheless, currently available methodologies, which mostly rely on the chromatographic separation of OTC, suffer from Low sensitivity and complicated processes. Thus, we report here on the design and synthesis of a fluorescent sensor based on molecularly imprinted magnetic hahoysite nanotubes (referred to as MHNTs@FMIP5) for the effective detection and purification of OTC in actual environmentaL samples. The fluorescence of the MHNTs@FMIP5 was quenched obviously upon Loading with OTC, covering a Linear concentration range of 10-300 nM with a Limit of detection (LOD) as Low as 8.1 nM. The imprinting factor is 4.47, indicating an excellent specificity. Furthermore, the MHNTs@FMIP5 can be applied to the quantitative detection of OTC (5 cycles of 300 nM) in aquacuLture wastewater and Yangtze River water, demonstrating their immense application potential.

Automated summary

In this study, a fluorescent sensor based on molecularly imprinted magnetic hahoysite nanotubes (MHNTs@FMIP5) was designed and synthesized for the effective detection and purification of OTC in actual environmental samples. The sensor exhibited low detection limit, excellent specificity, and potential applications.