Fluorescence detection of bisphenol A in aqueous solution using magnetite core-shell material with gold nanoclusters prepared by molecular imprinting technique

Fundamentals, Synthetic Strategies and Applications of Non-Covalently Imprinted Polymers

Molecular imprinting has emerged as an important and practical technology to create economical and stable synthetic mimics of antibodies and enzymes. It has already found a variety of important applications, such as affinity separation, chemical/biological sensing, disease diagnostics, proteomics, bioimaging, controlled drug release, and catalysis. In the past decade, significant breakthroughs have been made in non-covalently imprinted polymers, from their synthesis through to their applications. In terms of synthesis, quite a few versatile and facile imprinting approaches for preparing MIPs have been invented, which have effectively solved some key issues in molecular imprinting. Additionally, important applications in several areas, such as sensors, proteomics and bioimaging, have been well demonstrated. In this review, we critically and comprehensively survey key recent advances made in the preparation of non-covalently imprinted polymers and their important applications. We focus on the state-of-art of this technology from three different perspectives: fundamentals, synthetic strategies, and applications. We first provide a fundamental basis for molecular imprinting technologies that have been developed, which is extremely helpful for establishing a sound understanding of the challenges in molecular imprinting. Then, we discuss in particular the major breakthroughs within the last ten years (2014-2024), with emphasis on new imprinting approaches, what strengths the breakthroughs can provide, and which new applications the properties of the prepared non-covalently imprinted polymers are fit for.

Multifunctional Nanoparticles with Superparamagnetic Mn(II) Ferrite and Luminescent Gold Nanoclusters for Multimodal Imaging

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with fluorescence in the Near Infrared (NIR) by both one- and two-photon electronic excitation were incorporated in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) using a novel one-pot synthesis procedure where the condensation polymerization of alkoxysilane monomers in the presence of the AuNCs and a surfactant produced hybrid MSNs of 49 nm diameter. This method was further developed to prepare 30 nm diameter nanocomposite particles with simultaneous NIR fluorescence and superparamagnetic properties, with a core composed of superparamagnetic manganese (II) ferrite nanoparticles (MnFe2O4) coated with a thin silica layer, and a shell of mesoporous silica decorated with AuNCs. The nanocomposite particles feature NIR-photoluminescence with 0.6% quantum yield and large Stokes shift (290 nm), and superparamagnetic response at 300 K, with a saturation magnetization of 13.4 emu g-1. The conjugation of NIR photoluminescence and superparamagnetic properties in the biocompatible nanocomposite has high potential for application in multimodal bioimaging.

A fluorescent aptasensor based on berberine for ultrasensitive detection of bisphenol A in tap water

The residues of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging and water systems have a potential impact on human health; therefore, its analysis and detection have drawn scientists' attention. In this work, based on the change in fluorescence intensity resulting from the conformational switch of a berberine/BPA-aptamer system in the presence and absence of BPA, an ultra-sensitive fluorescence aptasensing system is proposed, in which BPA-aptamer is employed as the identification unit and berberine as the fluorescent probe. Various factors affecting the detection of BPA, including the concentration of the fluorescent probe, BPA-aptamer, BPA, pH, system stability time and other experimental conditions, were investigated in detail. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the fluorescence intensity of the sensing system of berberine/BPA-aptamer exhibited a good linear correlation with the BPA concentration in the range of 0-1300 μM with a LOD of 32 nM. The proposed fluorescent sensing system also exhibited excellent recoveries of 92.4-102.3% in tap water samples and showed good application prospects for the analysis and detection of BPA.

A water-stable molecular cadmium phosphonate bearing 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole as a highly sensitive luminescence sensor for the selective detection of bisphenol AF and bisphenol B

A highly water-stable molecular cadmium phosphonate bearing 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole has been used as a sensor platform for the luminescence detection of bisphenol AF (BPAF) and bisphenol B (BPB) in water with good sensitivity and selectivity.

The Recent Advances of Fluorescent Sensors Based on Molecularly Imprinted Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Pharmaceutical Analysis

Fluorescent nanoparticles have good chemical stability and photostability, controllable optical properties and larger stokes shift. In light of their designability and functionability, the fluorescent nanoparticles are widely used as the fluorescent probes for diverse applications. To enhance the sensitivity and selectivity, the combination of the fluorescent nanoparticles with the molecularly imprinted polymer, i.e. molecularly imprinted fluorescent nanoparticles (MIFN), was an effective way. The sensor based on MIFN (the MIFN sensor) could be more compatible with the complex sample matrix, which was especially widely adopted in medical and biological analysis. In this mini-review, the construction method, detective mechanism and types of MIFN sensors are elaborated. The current applications of MIFN sensors in pharmaceutical analysis, including pesticides/herbicide, veterinary drugs/drugs residues and human related proteins, are highlighted based on the literature in the recent three years. Finally, the research prospect and development trend of the MIFN sensor are forecasted.

Fluorescent nanomaterials combined with molecular imprinting polymer: synthesis, analytical applications, and challenges

Fluorescent nanomaterials (FNMs) and molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been widely used in analytical chemistry for determination. However, low selectivity of FNMs and low sensitivity of MIPs hinder their applications. Combining the merits of FNMs and MIPs, FNMs coated with MIPs (FNMs@MIPs) were proposed to solve those problems. Carbon dots, semiconductor quantum dots, noble metal nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles, and covalent-organic frameworks have been reported to be coated with MIPs. In order to overcome challenges for FNMs@MIPs, such as the lack of handy synthesis routes, incompatibility with aqueous solutions, heterogeneous size of particles, leakage of template molecules, the biocompatibility of FNMs@MIPs, and the inference between FNMs and MIPs, scientists proposed some solutions in recent years. We comprehensively review the newest advances of the FNMs@MIPs, and predict the direction of the future development. Graphical abstract.