Ultrasensitive and Selective Fluorescent Sensor for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Based on a Molecularly Imprinted Polymeric Nanocomposite

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A fluorescence sensor was designed based on nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots confined in a metal–organic framework and molecularly imprinted polymer for the selective determination of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Morphological, structural, and spectroscopic characterizations, such as SEM, STEM, BET, FT-IR, and XRD, verified successful synthesis and imprinting with enhanced surface area and structural durability. The sensor demonstrated intense fluorescence at around 420 nm, which was quenched through photoinduced electron transfer (PET) by HMF, exhibiting a linear relationship up to 35 µmol L−1 and a detection limit of 30 nmol L−1. It offered high imprinting efficiency, selectivity, and stability. The sensing platform also displayed efficient anti-interference performance toward interference species and presented excellent recovery in actual food samples such as honey, juice, and coffee, thus revealing the applicability of the sensing device for real-world HMF measurement in complicated matrices.