Highly sensitive α-amanitin sensor based on molecularly imprinted photonic crystals

α-amanitin is the most toxic amanita in mushrooms with lethal dose to humans around 0.1 mg. Kg^-1. Hence, early identification of the poison would improve survival rates and prevent lethal poisoning cases. In this study, molecularly imprinted photonic crystal (MIPC) sensor was prepared by combining molecular imprinting with photonic crystal templates and tested towards the detection of α-amanitin. In this process, synthesized moiety of α-amanitin was utilized as template, dispersed SiO₂ colloidal photonic crystal as carrier, methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDGMA) as crosslinker. The adsorption behavior of MIPC towards α-amanitin in ethanol solution showed shifts in diffraction peaks of MIPC upon binding with α-amanitin molecules. The reflection peak wavelength varied linearly with α-amanitin concentration according to the correlation formula: λ = 15.417c+489.17 (R² = 0.9985). The recognition process was accompanied by gradual color change in MIPC film. The prepared MIPC sensor possessed wide linear range (10^-9-10^-3 mg L^-1), change in visual color, low detection limit (10^-10 mg L^-1), short response time (2 min), and good reusability. The MIPC film was then tested towards the detection of α-amanitin in real biological samples (mushroom, urine, and serum) and showed reasonable shift in diffraction peaks and color change upon soaking in solutions spiked with α-amanitin at 10^-6 mg L^-1 and 10^-3 mg L^-1, suggesting the suitability of the film for the rapid identification of α-amanitin in complex sample matrices. Overall, the proposed sensor looks promising for the rapid identification of α-amanitin in clinical analysis and food poisoning.