Fluorogenic atom transfer radical polymerization in aqueous media as a strategy for detection

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Developing sensitive detection methods for water-soluble analytes and biomolecules in aqueous media is crucial for diagnostics.
• Existing signal amplification strategies often face limitations in aqueous environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorogenic polymerization approach for real-time signal amplification.
• To enable sensitive and quantitative detection of aqueous analytes and biomolecular recognition events.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of fluorogenic monomers.
• Co-polymerization using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in water.
• Real-time monitoring of fluorescence for signal amplification.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated increasing polymer fluorescence with reaction time and initiator concentration.
• Achieved quantitative detection of a small-molecule initiator over a broad linear range (pM to mM).
• Optimized conditions enabled sub-picomolar initiator detection at 60 °C in 1 hour.
• Successfully applied the method to detect streptavidin using a biotinylated ATRP initiator.

Conclusions:

• Established the first example of a fluorogenic ATRP reaction.
• Fluorogenic polymerization is a promising approach for direct detection of aqueous analytes.
• This method offers a sensitive platform for biomolecular recognition events in aqueous solutions.