Molecular imprinted photonic crystal hydrogels for the rapid and label-free detection of imidacloprid

A novel sensor for the rapid and label-free detection of imidacloprid was developed based on the combination of a colloidal crystal templating method and a molecular imprinting technique. The molecular imprinted photonic hydrogel film was prepared with methacrylic acid as monomers, ethylene glycol dimethylacrylate as cross-linkers and imidacloprid as imprinting template molecules. When the colloidal crystal template and the molecularly imprinted template was removed, the resulted MIPH film possessed a highly ordered three-dimensional macroporous structure with nanocavities. The response of the MIPH film to imidacloprid in aqueous solution can be detected through a readable Bragg diffraction red shift. When the concentration of imidacloprid increased from 10−13 to 10−7 g/mL, the Bragg diffraction peak shifted from 551 to 589 nm, while there were no obvious peak shifts for thiamethoxam and acetamiprid. This sensor which comprises of no label techniques and expensive instruments has potential application for the detection of trace imidacloprid.