Specific "light-up" sensor made easy: An aggregation induced emission monomer for molecular imprinting

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Developing specific "light-up" sensors for psychoactive drug detection in forensic analysis presents significant challenges.
• Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) offers a promising mechanism for creating sensitive and selective fluorescent probes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel AIE functional monomer for constructing a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based fluorescent sensor.
• To develop a "light-up" AIE-MIP sensor for the specific detection of cathinone (CAT) in forensic samples.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of an AIE functional monomer containing phenylboronic group and double bond.
• Construction of AIE-MIPs for fluorescent sensing.
• Characterization using FT-IR, LC-MS, and SEM.
• Evaluation of binding specificity, selectivity, and sensitivity through fluorescence studies.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and characterization of the AIE monomer and AIE-MIPs (∼140 nm diameter).
• Demonstrated high specificity and selectivity of the AIE-MIP sensor towards CAT.
• Achieved a low detection limit (0.32 μmol L⁻¹) and a linear range (2–12 μmol L⁻¹) for CAT detection.
• The AIE-MIP sensor exhibited superior sensitivity compared to previously reported sensors.

Conclusions:

• The developed AIE-MIP sensor provides a highly sensitive and selective method for detecting CAT in forensic samples.
• This work represents the first synthesis of an AIE functional monomer for molecular imprinting and the first "light-up" AIE-MIP sensor.
• The versatile design offers a general protocol for constructing advanced sensors in various fields.