Multicolor Quantum Dot-Based Chemical Nose for Rapid and Array-Free Differentiation of Multiple Proteins

Nanomaterial-based differential sensors (e.g., chemical nose) have shown great potential for identification of multiple proteins because of their modulatable recognition and transduction capability but with the limitation of array separation, single-channel read-out, and long incubation time. Here, we develop a multicolor quantum dot (QD)-based multichannel sensing platform for rapid identification of multiple proteins in an array-free format within 1 min. A protein-binding dye of bromophenol blue (BPB) is explored as an efficient reversible quencher of QDs, and the mixture of BPB with multicolor QDs may generate the quenched QD-BPB complexes. The addition of proteins will disrupt the QD-BPB complexes as a result of the competitive protein-BPB binding, inducing the separation of BPB from the QDs and the generation of distinct fluorescence patterns. The multicolor patterns may be collected at a single-wavelength excitation and differentiated by a linear discriminant analysis (LDA). This multichannel sensing platform allows for the discrimination of ten proteins and seven cell lines with the fastest response rate reported to date, holding great promise for rapid and high-throughput medical diagnostics.