Molecularly imprinted polymers are synthetic receptors for a targeted molecule. As such, they are analogues of the natural antibody–antigen systems. In this review, after a recounting of the early history of the general field, we specifically focus on the application of these polymers as sensors. In these applications, the polymers are paired with a reporting system, which may be electrical, electrochemical, optical, or gravimetric. The presence of the targeted molecule effects a change in the reporting agent, and a calibrated quantity of the target is recorded. In this review, we describe the imprinted polymer production processes, the techniques used for reporting, and the applications of the reported sensors. A brief survey of recent applications to gas-phase sensing is included, but the focus is primarily on the development of sensors for targets in solution. Included among the applications are those designed to detect toxic chemicals, toxins in foods, drugs, explosives, and pathogens. The application...

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

The current application of nanotechnology in food and agriculture.

Recent progress in metal-organic frameworks-based hydrogels and aerogels and their applications

Hierarchical Hollow‐Microsphere Metal–Selenide@Carbon Composites with Rational Surface Engineering for Advanced Sodium Storage

MOF based engineered materials in water remediation: Recent trends.

N,S co-doped carbon dots based fluorescent “on-off-on” sensor for determination of ascorbic acid in common fruits

Background Food analysis is essential in monitoring food quality for risk assessment regarding public health. Traditional techniques can meet the requirement of routine food analysis in laboratory. However, serious food safety situations urgently demand rapid, time-saving, low-cost analysis methods even on-site, portable and household testing kits. Fluorescence analysis exhibits immense potential for food safety owing to its remarkable advantages of high sensitivity, ease of operation, low cost and rapid result outputs. Scope and approach Carbon dots (CDs) are novel 0D carbonic nanomaterials recently emerging as potential substitutes for traditional fluorescent materials. Compared with the conventional fluorescent materials, e.g. organic fluorescent dyes, metal nanoparticles/nanoclusters and quantum dots (QDs), CDs possess many appealing merits such as ease of preparation, low cost, non-blinking, low cytotoxicity, excellent biocompatibility and high resistance to photo-bleaching. As a result CDs-based fluorescence sensing provides excellent analysis platforms for monitoring food-related analytes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art synthesis methods and the fluorescence properties of CDs along with the sensing mechanisms and designing principles of CDs-based fluorescent sensors for food analysis. Possible challenges and appealing prospects of CDs-based fluorescent sensors are also discussed. Key findings and conclusions CDs have been widely applied in bio-imaging, sensing, drug delivery, catalysis and optronics. Integration of CDs into food science and engineering for food safety control and risk assessment exhibits a bright future.

Carbon dots derived fluorescent nanosensors as versatile tools for food quality and safety assessment: A review

Shapeable three-dimensional CMC aerogels decorated with Ni/Co-MOF for rapid and highly efficient tetracycline hydrochloride removal

Tetracycline antibiotic (TC) residues, such as doxycycline (DOX), tetracycline (TET), oxytetracycline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC), have aroused public concerns due to their negative impact on human health and the ecological system. Herein, a 3D hierarchical dual-metal–organic framework, an Al-MOF@Mo/Zn-MOF heterostructure, is developed via an internal extended growth method for exceptionally high performance detection of TCs. The modified organic ligands with intriguing functional groups (–NH2) exhibit specific recognition toward TCs, which makes the fluorescence of Al-MOF@Mo/Zn-MOF efficiently quenched by TCs via the synergistic effect of H-bonding interaction enhancing the electron transfer from –NH2 on organic ligands to –CO–/–OH of TCs and the intense absorption of TCs at the excitation energy of Al-MOF@Mo/Zn-MOF. Particularly, the pre-concentration effect, induced by (i) metal nodes in dual-metal–organic frameworks providing unsaturated sites to recognize/adsorb the N and O atoms of TC molecules and (ii) the hierarchical nanoarchitecture enhancing mass transfer and alleviating the diffusion barrier to increase the contact area of MOF/TCs, endows Al-MOF@Mo/Zn-MOF with superior sensitivity. The Al-MOF@Mo/Zn-MOF reveals excellent anti-interference performances and ultra-low limits of detection (LODs) of 0.56, 0.53, 0.58 and 0.86 nM for DOX, TET, OTC and CTC. These acquired LOD values are two orders of magnitude lower than that of pristine amino-functionalized Al-MOF and comparable or even superior to those of previous fluorescence-based sensors. Satisfactory recoveries of 87.07–116.44% and RSDs of 0.22–2.30% are achieved in the detection of TCs in real water and food samples. These excellent sensing properties together with the advantages of facile fabrication, satisfactory stability and feasibility render the 3D hierarchical Al-MOF@Mo/Zn-MOF heterostructure promising for ultrasensitive detection of TCs in practical applications.

A 3D hierarchical dual-metal–organic framework heterostructure up-regulating the pre-concentration effect for ultrasensitive fluorescence detection of tetracycline antibiotics

Yong Han

Papers

N,S co-doped carbon dots based fluorescent “on-off-on” sensor for determination of ascorbic acid in common fruits

Carbon dots derived fluorescent nanosensors as versatile tools for food quality and safety assessment: A review

Shapeable three-dimensional CMC aerogels decorated with Ni/Co-MOF for rapid and highly efficient tetracycline hydrochloride removal

A 3D hierarchical dual-metal–organic framework heterostructure up-regulating the pre-concentration effect for ultrasensitive fluorescence detection of tetracycline antibiotics

Surface molecularly imprinted polymer capped Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots as a phosphorescent nanosensor for detecting patulin in apple juice.