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Recent Advances in Fluorescent Sensors

A topical collection in Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This collection belongs to the section "Optical Sensors".

Viewed by 14999

Editor

Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, China
Interests: electrochemical sensor; fluorecent sensor; DNA nanotechnology

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect the latest achievements of research and development in fluorescence-based chemical and biological sensors. Fluorescence-based detection of organic and inorganic matter and microorganisms is an important task for environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, food safety, industrial quality control, agriculture, and security. 

At present, we are using traditional analytical techniques such as gas or liquid chromatography, atomic absorption or emission spectroscopy (AAS/AES), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), mass spectroscopy, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for their detection. These techniques are highly accurate and sensitive to a specific analyte of interest, but they are costly, available only in large centralized laboratories, and require extensive sample pretreatment, making on-site, real-time, or in situ detection difficult. Considering these drawbacks, development of novel analytical methods, which have higher sensitivity and selectivity, a shorter response time and lower cost, has recently attracted attention. Among the currently developed sensors, that based on fluorescence detection is one of the most common analytical tools due to its simplicity, low cost, high sensitivity, and fast response. 

In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions on articles addressing sensor technology based on fluorescence measurements. Both review articles and original research papers are strongly encouraged. 

Prof. Dr. Peng Miao
Collection Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Fluorescence molecules
  • Chemical sensors
  • Biosensors
  • Interference
  • Toxic substances
  • Pathogens
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Medical
  • Diagnostics
  • Food safety
  • Industrial quality control

Published Papers (6 papers)

2023

Jump to: 2022, 2021

11 pages, 3291 KiB  
Communication
Development of an Interactive Touchless Technology Based on Static-Electricity-Induced Luminescence
by Keina Abe, Taiga Eguchi, Tatsuya Oyama, Yuki Fujio and Kazuya Kikunaga
Sensors 2023, 23(5), 2462; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23052462 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1475
Abstract
Touchless technology has garnered significant interest in recent years because of its effectiveness in combating infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The goal of this study was to develop an inexpensive and high-precision touchless technology. A base substrate was coated with [...] Read more.
Touchless technology has garnered significant interest in recent years because of its effectiveness in combating infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The goal of this study was to develop an inexpensive and high-precision touchless technology. A base substrate was coated with a luminescent material that emitted static-electricity-induced luminescence (SEL), and it was applied at high voltage. An inexpensive web camera was used to verify the relationship between the non-contact distance to a needle and the applied-voltage-triggered luminescence. The SEL was emitted at 20–200 mm from the luminescent device upon voltage application, and the web camera detected the SEL position with an accuracy of less than 1 mm. We used this developed touchless technology to demonstrate a highly accurate real-time detection of the position of a human finger based on SEL. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2023, 2021

10 pages, 2395 KiB  
Communication
Fluorescence DNA Switch for Highly Sensitive Detection of miRNA Amplified by Duplex-Specific Nuclease
by Xiaoqiang Li, Zhenzhen Guo, Gangyin Luo and Peng Miao
Sensors 2022, 22(9), 3252; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22093252 - 23 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1671
Abstract
DNA is a type of promising material for the construction of sensors owing to its sequence programmability to control the formation of certain structures. MicroRNA (miRNA) can be applied as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of a range of diseases. Herein, a novel [...] Read more.
DNA is a type of promising material for the construction of sensors owing to its sequence programmability to control the formation of certain structures. MicroRNA (miRNA) can be applied as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of a range of diseases. Herein, a novel fluorescent sensing strategy for miRNA is proposed combining duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-mediated amplification and dumbbell DNA structural switch. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are employed, which provide a 3D reaction interface. They also act as effective fluorescence quenchers. The proposed sensor exhibits high sensitivity (sub-femtomolar level) with a wide dynamic range. In addition, excellent selectivity to distinguish homology sequences is achieved. It also performs satisfactorily in biological samples. Overall, this fluorescent sensor provides a powerful tool for the analysis of miRNA levels and can be applied for related biological studies and clinical diagnosis. Full article
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12 pages, 3024 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of Phosphorescent Carbon Dots for Anticounterfeiting and Information Encryption
by Mingming Cheng, Lei Cao, Hanzhou Guo, Wenfei Dong and Li Li
Sensors 2022, 22(8), 2944; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22082944 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
Room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) carbon dots (CDs) have promising applications in bioimaging, anticounterfeiting, and information encryption owing to their long lifetimes and wide Stokes shifts. Numerous researchers are interested in developing highly bright RTP CDs using environmentally friendly and safe synthesis processes (e.g., natural [...] Read more.
Room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) carbon dots (CDs) have promising applications in bioimaging, anticounterfeiting, and information encryption owing to their long lifetimes and wide Stokes shifts. Numerous researchers are interested in developing highly bright RTP CDs using environmentally friendly and safe synthesis processes (e.g., natural raw materials and zero-pollution production pathways). In this study, we successfully synthesized RTP CDs using a hydrothermal process employing natural vitamins as a raw material, ethylenediamine as a passivator, and boric acid as a phosphorescent enhancer, which is referred to as phosphorescent CD (PCD). The PCDs exhibit both bright blue fluorescence emission and green RTP emission, with a phosphorescence lifetime as long as 293 ms and an excellent green afterglow visible to the naked eye for up to 7.0 s. The total quantum yield is 12.69%. The phosphorescence quantum yield (PQY) is up to 5.15%. Based on the RTP performance, PCDs have been successfully employed for anticounterfeiting and information protection applications. The results of this study provide a green strategy for the scalable synthesis of RTP materials, which is a practical method for the fabrication of RTP materials with high efficiency and long afterglow lifetimes. Full article
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13 pages, 2984 KiB  
Article
Fluorescent Aptasensor for Highly Specific Detection of ATP Using a Newly Screened Aptamer
by Xin Chen, Yangkun Feng, Haohan Chen, Yuting Zhang, Xiaoli Wang and Nandi Zhou
Sensors 2022, 22(7), 2425; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22072425 - 22 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2490
Abstract
Owing to the significant roles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in diverse biological processes, ATP level is used to research and evaluate the physiological processes of organisms. Aptamer-based biosensors have been widely reported to achieve this purpose, which are superior in their flexible biosensing [...] Read more.
Owing to the significant roles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in diverse biological processes, ATP level is used to research and evaluate the physiological processes of organisms. Aptamer-based biosensors have been widely reported to achieve this purpose, which are superior in their flexible biosensing mechanism, with a high sensitivity and good biocompatibility; however, the aptamers currently used for ATP detection have a poor ability to discriminate ATP from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP). Herein, an ATP-specific aptamer was screened and applied to construct a fluorescent aptasensor for ATP by using graphene oxide (GO) and strand displacement amplification (SDA). The fluorescence intensity of the sensor is linearly related to the concentration of ATP within 0.1 μM to 25 μM under optimal experimental conditions, and the detection limit is 33.85 nM. The biosensor exhibits a satisfactory specificity for ATP. Moreover, the experimental results indicate that the biosensor can be applied to determine the ATP in human serum. In conclusion, the screened aptamer and the biosensor have promising applications in the determination of the real energy charge level and ATP content in a complex biological system. Full article
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9 pages, 1617 KiB  
Communication
Quantitative Detection of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Adulteration, as Opposed to Peanut and Soybean Oil, Employing LED-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy
by Ting Zhang, Yuyang Liu, Zhuoping Dai, Lihan Cui, Hongze Lin, Zejian Li, Kaihua Wu and Guangyu Liu
Sensors 2022, 22(3), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22031227 - 06 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2183
Abstract
As it is high in value, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is frequently blended with inferior vegetable oils. This study presents an optical method for determining the adulteration level of EVOO with soybean oil as well as peanut oil using LED-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. [...] Read more.
As it is high in value, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is frequently blended with inferior vegetable oils. This study presents an optical method for determining the adulteration level of EVOO with soybean oil as well as peanut oil using LED-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Eight LEDs with central wavelengths from ultra-violet (UV) to blue are tested to induce the fluorescence spectra of EVOO, peanut oil, and soybean oil, and the UV LED of 372 nm is selected for further detection. Samples are prepared by mixing olive oil with different volume fractions of peanut or soybean oil, and their fluorescence spectra are collected. Different pre-processing and regression methods are utilized to build the prediction model, and good linearity is obtained between the predicted and actual adulteration concentration. This result, accompanied by the non-destruction and no pre-treatment characteristics, proves that it is feasible to use LED-induced fluorescence spectroscopy as a way to investigate the EVOO adulteration level, and paves the way for building a hand-hold device that can be applied to real market conditions in the future. Full article
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2021

Jump to: 2023, 2022

16 pages, 4141 KiB  
Article
Resolving Cross-Sensitivity Effect in Fluorescence Quenching for Simultaneously Sensing Oxygen and Ammonia Concentrations by an Optical Dual Gas Sensor
by Chih-Yi Liu, Moumita Deb, Annada Sankar Sadhu, Riya Karmakar, Ping-Tsung Huang, Yi-Nan Lin, Cheng-Shane Chu, Bhola Nath Pal, Shih-Hsin Chang and Sajal Biring
Sensors 2021, 21(20), 6940; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21206940 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3037
Abstract
Simultaneous sensing of multiple gases by a single fluorescent-based gas sensor is of utmost importance for practical applications. Such sensing is strongly hindered by cross-sensitivity effects. In this study, we propose a novel analysis method to ameliorate such hindrance. The trial sensor used [...] Read more.
Simultaneous sensing of multiple gases by a single fluorescent-based gas sensor is of utmost importance for practical applications. Such sensing is strongly hindered by cross-sensitivity effects. In this study, we propose a novel analysis method to ameliorate such hindrance. The trial sensor used here was fabricated by coating platinum(II) meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (PtTFPP) and eosin-Y dye molecules on both sides of a filter paper for sensing O2 and NH3 gases simultaneously. The fluorescent peak intensities of the dyes can be quenched by the analytes and this phenomenon is used to identify the gas concentrations. Ideally, each dye is only sensitive to one gas species. However, the fluorescent peak related to O2 sensing is also quenched by NH3 and vice versa. Such cross-sensitivity strongly hinders gas concentration detection. Therefore, we have studied this cross-sensitivity effect systematically and thus proposed a new analysis method for accurate estimation of gas concentration. Comparing with a traditional method (neglecting cross-sensitivity), this analysis improves O2-detection error from −11.4% ± 34.3% to 2.0% ± 10.2% in a mixed background of NH3 and N2. Full article
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