Molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence sensor sensitized with Zn-PTC and Co-MOF for selective determination of ciprofloxacin in foods

● A novel MIP-ECL sensor was developed for fast and selective detection of ciprofloxacin in foods. ● The sensor integrates a Zn-PTC MOF luminophore and a Co-MOF accelerator to amplify the signal. ● The MIP-ECL sensor exhibited a wide linear range (1.0 × 10 -9 -1.0 × 10 -5 mol L -1 ) and a low detection limit of 7.7 × 10 -11 mol L -1 . ● The method was validated for accurate CIP detection in real samples. A novel molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence (MIP-ECL) sensor was developed for the highly sensitive and selective detection of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in foods. The sensor was constructed through a rational multi-step modification of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Firstly, the novel luminescent metal-organic framework (MOF), Zn-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate (Zn-PTC), was synthesized and then coated onto GCE to generate an ECL signal. Subsequently, a cobalt-based metal-organic framework (Co-MOF) was synthesized and immobilized as a co-reaction accelerator, significantly enhancing the ECL intensity of the Zn-PTC system. Finally, a molecularly imprinted polypyrrole membrane was electropolymerized on the Co-MOF/Zn-PTC/GCE surface to provide specific recognition sites for CIP. This MIP layer effectively improved the sensor's selectivity, while the Co-MOF boosting strategy ensured high sensitivity. Under optimal conditions, the sensor demonstrated a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10 -9 to 1.0 × 10 -5 mol L -1 and a low detection limit of 7.7 × 10 -11 mol L -1 . The accuracy of the sensor was confirmed through recovery experiments in spiked canned luncheon meat and Angus beef meatballs, yielding satisfactory recoveries ranging from 93.40% to 106.25%. Furthermore, the detection results for chicken gizzard and grilled sausage showed excellent agreement with those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), validating the practical applicability of the proposed method.