Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors

A special issue of Chemosensors (ISSN 2227-9040).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 30532

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Polymer Research Group, Faculty of Science, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Interests: polymers; polymer sensors; high performance aramids; design, synthesis and characterization of polymers; polymers for advanced applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Polymer Research Group, Faculty of Science, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Interests: polymers; polymer sensors; design, synthesis and characterization of polymers; polymers for advanced applications; polymeric materials with biological activity; design, synthesis and characterization of metal complexes with antitumor and antibacterial activity

Special Issue Information

Molecular recognition between two molecules that are chemically and geometrically compatible, such as enzyme/substrate or antigen/antibody, is a common phenomenon in the environment. Supramolecular Chemistry tries to mimic the effectivity and simplicity of these biological recognition processes, establishing the sensors or chemosensors research field. Sensors are molecules with receptors or host units in which, after a selective interaction with a target (or guest) molecule, a variation of a macroscopic property is produced, providing measurable information.

In this regard, current research is directed to the preparation of solid matrices—polymers—with chemically anchored selective receptors to avoid the migration of substances to the medium and to provide mechanical support. In addition, polymers can be specifically designed to be water-soluble or insoluble or to be transformed into finished materials with suitable mechanical and thermal properties. Cheap sensors such as chromogenic o fluorogenic coatings, films, or textiles can be obtained; they can also be used as integrated parts in conventional analytical equipment.

These so-called smart polymers are constantly being developed, broadening their scope in the detection of chemicals for applications related to the biomedical, environmental, food, and civil security fields. This growing research area motivates the launch of this Special Issue, aimed to discuss the latest research on the preparation of smart polymers as sensing materials for the detection of different target molecules in different application fields.

This Special Issue topic is directly related with Chemosensors scope considering that it is based in the development, fabrication and study of applications of materials for chemical sensing, that can include classical sensing topics such as gas sensors, electronic noses, ph and/or humidity sensors, enzyme sensors… etc.

Dr. Miriam Trigo-López
Dr. Aránzazu Mendía
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Polymer chemosensors
  • smart polymers, colorimetric sensors
  • fluorescence sensors
  • electrochemical sensors
  • polymeric sensory devices
  • immobilization
  • biomolecules sensing, cations sensing, anion sensing, pollutants sensing, harmfull chemical sensing

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4051 KiB  
Article
Development of a MIP-Based QCM Sensor for Selective Detection of Penicillins in Aqueous Media
by Shahin Haghdoust, Usman Arshad, Adnan Mujahid, Leo Schranzhofer and Peter Alexander Lieberzeit
Chemosensors 2021, 9(12), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9120362 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4733
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals wastes have been recognized as emerging pollutants to the environment. Among those, antibiotics in the aquatic environment are one of the major sources of concern, as chronic, low-dose exposure can lead to antibiotic resistance. Herein, we report on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) [...] Read more.
Pharmaceuticals wastes have been recognized as emerging pollutants to the environment. Among those, antibiotics in the aquatic environment are one of the major sources of concern, as chronic, low-dose exposure can lead to antibiotic resistance. Herein, we report on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) to recognize penicillin V potassium salt (PenV-K), penicillin G potassium salt (PenG-K), and amoxicillin sodium salt (Amo-Na), which belong to the most widespread group of antibiotics worldwide. Characterization and optimization led to two MIPs comprising methacrylic acid as the monomer and roughly 55% ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinker. The obtained layers led to sensitive, selective, repeatable, and reusable sensor responses on quartz crystal microbalances (QCM). The LoD for PenV-K, PenG-K, and Amo-Na sensors are 0.25 mM, 0.30 mM, and 0.28 mM, respectively; imprinting factors reach at least around three. Furthermore, the sensors displayed relative selectivity factors of up to 50% among the three penicillins, which is appreciable given their structural similarity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors)
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12 pages, 1865 KiB  
Article
Preparation of a Molecularly Imprinted Film on Quartz Crystal Microbalance Chip for Determination of Furanic Compounds
by Wei-Liang Lin, Chung-Yin Lin and Dar-Fu Tai
Chemosensors 2021, 9(12), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9120338 - 1 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2520
Abstract
The structural preferences of furanic compounds were studied using a combination of a molecularly imprinted film (MIF) on a piezoelectric-quartz chip. The furanic compounds and their derivatives were used as the templates. Owing to their similar heterocyclic structures, it is difficult to verify [...] Read more.
The structural preferences of furanic compounds were studied using a combination of a molecularly imprinted film (MIF) on a piezoelectric-quartz chip. The furanic compounds and their derivatives were used as the templates. Owing to their similar heterocyclic structures, it is difficult to verify the structural differences between the templates. Therefore, a new cross-linker (Methacr-l-Cys-NHBn)2, was employed to generate a platform on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) chip. The cross-linker self-assembled to link the surface of the chip to copolymerize with other functional monomers. A layered film with chiral hydrophobicity and rigidity was thus fabricated. Subsequently, Acr-l-Ser-NHBn was utilized as a chiral monomer to construct MIF on a QCM chip. Forcomparison, we synthesized a more hydrophobic monomer, Methacr-l-Ser-NHBn, to enhance the binding ability of the MIF. The QCM flow injection system was handled in an organic solvent system. The proportion of the monomers was adjusted to optimize the recognition ability of these films. As the binding ability of the MIF toward model templates and structurally-related furanic compounds was improved, a MIF derived from 2-furaldehyde (FUL) achieved a lower detection limit (10 ng/mL). The binding properties of MIFs prepared against furanic compounds exhibited strong similarities to the binding properties of other compounds with heterocyclic ring structures. For example, 2-furaldehyde is very similar to 2-formylthiazole, 2-acetylfuran is similar to 2-acetylthiazole, and 2-furfuryl alcohol is similar to imidazole-2-methanol. Such recognition ability can help distinguish between the structural counterparts of other small heterocyclic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors)
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12 pages, 4742 KiB  
Article
Label-Free Electrochemical Biosensor Based on Au@MoS₂–PANI for Escherichia coli Detection
by Pushap Raj, Man Hwan Oh, Kyudong Han and Tae Yoon Lee
Chemosensors 2021, 9(3), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9030049 - 1 Mar 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3669
Abstract
Bacterial infections have become a significant challenge in terms of public health, the food industry, and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to address these challenges by developing a rapid, cost-effective, and easy-to-use biosensor for early diagnosis of bacterial pathogens. Herein, we developed [...] Read more.
Bacterial infections have become a significant challenge in terms of public health, the food industry, and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to address these challenges by developing a rapid, cost-effective, and easy-to-use biosensor for early diagnosis of bacterial pathogens. Herein, we developed a simple, label-free, and highly sensitive immunosensor based on electrochemical detection using the Au@MoS₂–PANI nanocomposite. The conductivity of the glassy carbon electrode is greatly enhanced using the Au@MoS₂–PANI nanocomposite and a self-assembled monolayer of mercaptopropionic acid on the gold nanoparticle surface was employed for the covalent immobilization of antibodies to minimize the nonspecific adsorption of bacterial pathogens on the electrode surface. The biosensor established a high selectivity and sensitivity with a low limit of detection of 10 CFU/mL, and detected Escherichia coli within 30 min. Moreover, the developed biosensor demonstrated a good linear detection range, practical utility in urine samples, and electrode regenerative studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors)
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11 pages, 2809 KiB  
Article
Label-Free Optical Biosensing Using Low-Cost Electrospun Polymeric Nanofibers
by Paula Martínez-Pérez, Salvador Ponce-Alcántara, Nieves Murillo, Ana Pérez-Márquez, Jon Maudes, Inés Peraile, Laura González-López, Matilde Gil-García, Paloma Lorenzo-Lozano and Jaime García-Rupérez
Chemosensors 2020, 8(4), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors8040119 - 26 Nov 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2650
Abstract
Polymeric nanofiber matrices are promising structures to develop biosensing devices due to their easy and affordable large-scale fabrication and their high surface-to-volume ratio. In this work, the suitability of a polyamide 6 nanofiber matrix for the development of a label-free and real-time Fabry–Pérot [...] Read more.
Polymeric nanofiber matrices are promising structures to develop biosensing devices due to their easy and affordable large-scale fabrication and their high surface-to-volume ratio. In this work, the suitability of a polyamide 6 nanofiber matrix for the development of a label-free and real-time Fabry–Pérot cavity-based optical biosensor was studied. For such aim, in-flow biofunctionalization of nanofibers with antibodies, bound through a protein A/G layer, and specific biodetection of 10 µg/mL bovine serum albumin (BSA) were carried out. Both processes were successfully monitored via reflectivity measurements in real-time without labels and their reproducibility was demonstrated when different polymeric nanofiber matrices from the same electrospinning batch were employed as transducers. These results demonstrate not only the suitability of correctly biofunctionalized polyamide 6 nanofiber matrices to be employed for real-time and label-free specific biodetection purposes, but also the potential of electrospinning technique to create affordable and easy-to-fabricate at large scale optical transducers with a reproducible performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors)
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Review

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26 pages, 2738 KiB  
Review
Flexible Sensors Based on Conductive Polymers
by Ileana-Alexandra Pavel, Sophie Lakard and Boris Lakard
Chemosensors 2022, 10(3), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors10030097 - 1 Mar 2022
Cited by 68 | Viewed by 10913
Abstract
Conductive polymers have attracted wide attention since their discovery due to their unique properties such as good electrical conductivity, thermal and chemical stability, and low cost. With different possibilities of preparation and deposition on surfaces, they present unique and tunable structures. Because of [...] Read more.
Conductive polymers have attracted wide attention since their discovery due to their unique properties such as good electrical conductivity, thermal and chemical stability, and low cost. With different possibilities of preparation and deposition on surfaces, they present unique and tunable structures. Because of the ease of incorporating different elements to form composite materials, conductive polymers have been widely used in a plethora of applications. Their inherent mechanical tolerance limit makes them ideal for flexible devices, such as electrodes for batteries, artificial muscles, organic electronics, and sensors. As the demand for the next generation of (wearable) personal and flexible sensing devices is increasing, this review aims to discuss and summarize the recent manufacturing advances made on flexible electrochemical sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors)
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29 pages, 5531 KiB  
Review
Advances in Colorimetric Assay Based on AuNPs Modified by Proteins and Nucleic Acid Aptamers
by Sopio Melikishvili, Ivan Piovarci and Tibor Hianik
Chemosensors 2021, 9(10), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9100281 - 2 Oct 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4418
Abstract
This review is focused on the biosensing assay based on AuNPs (AuNPs) modified by proteins, peptides and nucleic acid aptamers. The unique physical properties of AuNPs allow their modification by proteins, peptides or nucleic acid aptamers by chemisorption as well as other methods [...] Read more.
This review is focused on the biosensing assay based on AuNPs (AuNPs) modified by proteins, peptides and nucleic acid aptamers. The unique physical properties of AuNPs allow their modification by proteins, peptides or nucleic acid aptamers by chemisorption as well as other methods including physical adsorption and covalent immobilization using carbodiimide chemistry or based on strong binding of biotinylated receptors on neutravidin, streptavidin or avidin. The methods of AuNPs preparation, their chemical modification and application in several biosensing assays are presented with focus on application of nucleic acid aptamers for colorimetry assay for determination of antibiotics and bacteria in food samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymer-Based Chemical and Biological Sensors)
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