Nanosensing platforms harnessing boronic-acid reversible recognition for complex-sample detection: A review.

Area of Science:

• * Analytical Chemistry
• * Materials Science
• * Nanoscience

Background:

• * Boronic acids reversibly bind cis-diols via boronate-ester formation, enabling applications in sensing.
• * Widespread cis-diols in biomolecules and surfaces make boronic-acid chemistry ideal for nanomaterial integration.
• * A comprehensive framework linking ligand structure, pKa, interfaces, and platform design to performance is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To present a structure-interaction-platform-performance framework for boronic-acid-based nanosensing.
• * To critically review ligand types, interfacial mechanisms, and nanoplatform architectures.
• * To guide the rational design of nanosensors for complex sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• * Comparative analysis of different boronic acid ligand types (single, double, multi-, Wulff-type).
• * Evaluation of interfacial mechanisms and nanoplatform architectures (magnetic, MOF/COF, fluorescent, semiconductor, MIP-hybrids).
• * Critical assessment of applications in small molecules, glycoproteins, pathogens, food, and environmental samples.

Main Results:

• * Different ligand types impact neutral-pH compatibility, selectivity, and binding efficiency.
• * Interfacial strategies and nanoplatforms influence anti-interference, signal transduction, and applicability.
• * Real-sample performance, matrix tolerance, and robustness are key evaluation metrics.

Conclusions:

• * Boronic-acid-based nanosensors require rational design considering structure-performance relationships.
• * Bottlenecks include pH dependence, selectivity, standardization, and translation.
• * The framework aids in developing robust nanosensors for complex analytical challenges.