Herein, a novel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a functionalized graphene oxide (GO)/molecular-imprinted polymer composite was developed for the chiral recognition of l-tryptophan (l-Trp). The composite's recognition element was prepared via a facile and green synthesis approach using polydopamine as both a reducer of GO and a functional monomer as well as a cross-linker for molecular imprinting. The composite was characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. After attaching the composite onto the gold surface of an SPR chip, the sensor was characterized using contact-angle measurements. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity and chiral recognition for the template (i.e., l-Trp). Density functional theory computations showed that the difference in hydrogen bonding between the composite element and l-Trp and d-Trp played an important role in chiral recognition.
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