Hypersensitive and selective biosensing based on microfiber interferometry and molecular imprinted nanoparticles.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Molecular imprinting offers specific analyte detection with artificial scaffolds.
• Optical sensors are crucial for next-generation biosensing and remote monitoring.
• Integrating molecularly imprinted nanoparticles with optical microwires presents a novel sensing platform.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel molecularly imprinted nanocarrier integrated with an optical microwire for enhanced biosensing.
• To demonstrate the sensor's capability for highly specific and sensitive detection of pesticides.
• To validate the sensor's performance in real-world water sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of molecularly imprinted nanocarriers via a hydrothermal process.
• Integration of nanocarriers onto an optical microwire for signal transduction.
• Optimization of the sensing process for parathion methyl detection.

Main Results:

• Achieved hyper-sensitivity for parathion methyl detection in the range of 10^-12 to 10^-4 M.
• Obtained a low detection limit of 79.43 fM for parathion methyl.
• Demonstrated high accuracy with approximately 100% recovery in real water samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed molecularly imprinted nanocarrier-optical microwire probe represents a significant advancement in selective biosensing.
• This technology holds promise for next-generation online and remote biosensing in various applications, including biomedical research.
• The facile synthesis and robust performance open new avenues for sensitive and specific molecular detection.