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Fluorescence based sensing is a versatile approach for the trace analysis outside of the laboratory, requiring suitable sensor materials and their integration into sensing devices. The versatility of fluorophores as probes, especially in terms of the possibility to tailor their optical as well as their recognition properties by synthetic modifications in a wide range, renders them a superior active component for the preparation of optical sensor devices. Recent works at BAM in this field include, for example, the detection of nerve gas agents, illustrating impressively the aforementioned benefits of fluorophores in optical sensing applications.
In the interdisciplinary approach presented here, we target hazardous gases such as ammonia, benzene, and hydrogen sulfide, next to others, which pose a major threat to human health and environmental safety and for which the availability of a sensitive and reliable detection method is highly desirable.
The dyes presented follow a “turn-on” fluorescence schematic which allows for the selective and sensitive detection of the respective gaseous analyte. The immobilization of the probe in polymeric matrices is then the next step toward the fabrication of a prototype device for molecular sensing.
In the KonSens Project, sensor systems are developed, validated, and operated in form of functional models for the application areas Structure Integrated Sensors and Mobile Multi-gas Sensors. Key aspects are the detection and evaluation of corrosion processes in reinforced concrete structures as well as the detection and quantification of very low concentrations of toxic gases in air. The adaption of sensor principles from the lab into real-life application including appropriate communication techniques is a major task.
In recent years, Structural Health Monitoring have gained in importance, since growing age of buildings and infrastructure as well as increasing load requirements demand for reliable surveillance methods. In this regard, the project follows two strategies: First, the development and implementation of completely embedded sensor systems consisting of RFID-tag and in situ sensors, and their further application potential (e.g. for precast concrete elements, roadways, wind power plants, and maritime structures). Secondly, the development of a long-term stable, miniaturized, fiber optic sensor for a ratiometric and referenced measurement of the pH-value in concrete based on fluorescence detection as an indicator for carbonation and corrosion.
Environmental pollution through emission of toxic gases becomes an increasing problem not only in agriculture (e.g. biogas plants) and industry but also in urban areas. This leads to increasing demand to monitor environmental emissions as well as ambient air and industrial air components in many scenarios and in even lower concentrations than nowadays. The selectivity of luminescence-based sensors is enabled by the combination of the sensing dye and the material, which is used as accumulation medium for concentration of the analyte. This principle allows for developing gas sensors with high selectivity and sensitivity of defined substances. Additional benefits, particularly of fluorescence-based sensors, are their capability for miniaturization and potential multiplex mode. Objective is the development and implementation of sensors based on fluorescence detection for defined toxic gases (ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, ozone, and benzene) with sensitivity in the low ppm or even ppb range. Additionally, the integration of such sensors in mobile sensor devices is addressed.
2,4-D ist ein in der Landwirtschaft weitverbreitetes Pflanzenschutzmittel, das Grundwasser kontaminiert, sich innerhalb der Nahrungskette anreichert und Umwelt- und Gesundheitsprobleme verursachen kann. Hier stellen die Autoren ein mikrofluidisches Nachweissystem für die Echtzeitdetektion von 2,4-D in Grund- oder Oberflächenwasser vor. Es basiert auf der Kombination 2,4-D-selektiver, fluoreszierender, molekular geprägter Polymer-(MIP-)Mikropartikel mit einem 3D-mikrofluidischen Extraktions- und Detektionssystem. Messungen vor Ort sollen damit künftig möglich sein.
Mit Tröpfchen Spielen
(2018)
Mikrofluidische Systeme sind leistungsstarke analytische Tools mit attraktiven Eigenschaften wie miniaturisierter Größe, geringem Reagenzien und Probenverbrauch, schneller Ansprech- und kurzer Messzeit. Der Bedarf solcher leistungsstarken, miniaturisierten und direkt vor Ort anwendbaren Sensorsysteme steigt kontinuierlich, hauptsächlich durch das Bedürfnis der Gesellschaft, schneller, besser und umfassender über kritische Faktoren im Lebens- und Arbeitsumfeld sowie der Umwelt informiert zu sein.
Playing with Droplets
(2018)
Microfluidic devices are powerful analytical tools with appealing features such as miniaturized size, low reagent and sample consumption, rapid response and short measurement times. As society wants to be ever better, earlier and more comprehensively informed about critical factors in life, work, and the environment, the demand for powerful measurement devices for use outside of the laboratory constantly increases.
Sialic acid (SA) is a monosaccharide usually linked to the terminus of glycan chains on the cell surface. It plays a crucial role in many biological processes, and hypersialylation is a common feature in cancer. Lectins are widely used to analyze the cell surface expression of SA.
However, these protein molecules are usually expensive and easily denatured, which calls for the development of alternative glycan-specific receptors and cell imaging technologies. In this study, SA-imprinted fluorescent core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer particles (SA-MIPs) were employed to recognize SA on the cell surface of cancer cell lines. The SA-MIPs improved suspensibility and scattering properties compared with previously used core-shell SA-MIPs. Although SA-imprinting was performed using SA without preference for the alpha-2,3- and alpha-2,6-SA forms, we screened the cancer cell lines analyzed using the lectins Maackia Amurensis Lectin I (MAL I, alpha-2,3-SA) and Sambucus Nigra Lectin (SNA, alpha-2,6-SA). Our results show that the selected cancer cell lines in this study presented a varied binding behavior with the SA-MIPs. The binding pattern of the lectins was also demonstrated. Moreover, two different pentavalent SA conjugates were used to inhibit the binding of the SA-MIPs to breast, skin, and lung cancer cell lines, demonstrating the specificity of the SA-MIPs in both flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy. We concluded that the synthesized SA-MIPs might be a powerful future tool in the diagnostic analysis of various cancer cells.
A novel mesoporous silica material containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties (I) is employed for the detection of nerve agent simulants (NASs) and the organophosphate nerve or chemical warfare agents (CWAs) Sarin (GB), Soman (GD), and Tabun (GA) in aqueous environments. The reactive BODIPY dye with an optimum positioned hydroxyl group undergoes acylation reactions with phosph(on)ate substrates, yielding a bicyclic ring. Due to aggregation of the dyes in water, the sensitivity of the free dye in solution is very low. Only after immobilization of the BODIPY moieties into the silica substrates is aggregation inhibited and a sensitive determination of the NASs diethyl cyanophosphonate (DCNP), diethyl chlorophosphate (DCP) and diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) possible. The signaling mode is a strong quenching of the fluorescence, reaching LODs in the pM range. The best performing hybrid material was singled out from a library of hybrid silicas varying in morphology and surface functionalization. The response to actual CWAs such as GB, GD, and GA has also been tested, offering similar behavior as for the simulants. The proposed reaction mechanism has been verified by investigation of other model materials, containing for instance BODIPY moieties without an optimum hydroxyl group (III) or a BODIPY dye with an all-aliphatic counterpart (IV). The latter can only form a monocyclic reaction product, showing much less reactivity as I. Assays with other possible competitors have been additionally carried out, showing favorably low cross-reactivities. Finally, the determination of NASs in several natural waters has been demonstrated.
Test strips that in combination with a portable fluorescence reader or digital camera can rapidly and selectively detect chemical warfare agents (CWAs) such as Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB), and Soman (GD) and their simulants in the gas phase have been developed. The strips contain spots of a hybrid indicator material consisting of a fluorescent BODIPY indicator covalently anchored into the channels of mesoporous SBA silica microparticles. The fluorescence quenching response allows the sensitive detection of CWAs in the μg m−3 range in a few seconds.
The synthesis, characterization, and application of mesoporous materials containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties that allow the sensitive and selective detection of HgII in aqueous environments by fluorescence enhancement is reported. For this purpose, BODIPY dye I containing a thia‐aza crown ether receptor as the fluorescent probe for the detection of HgII in aqueous environments is encapsulated into mesoporous materials to avoid self‐quenching or aggregation in water. Determination of HgII is accomplished within a few seconds with high selectivity and sensitivity, reaching a limit of detection of 12 ppt. The determination of trace amounts of HgII in natural waters and in fish extracts is demonstrated by using our sensing material. The incorporation of the material into several μ‐PAD strips yields a portable, cheap, quick, and easy‐to‐handle tool for trace HgII analysis in water.
Invited for this month’s cover picture is the group of Dr. Knut Rurack at the Department of Analytical Chemistry; Reference Materials at the Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM) in Berlin (Germany). The cover picture shows how differences in color and fluorescence on a test strip can be easily read out with a mobile device. Two reference spots Frame the sensitive spot that indicates the presence of trace amounts of HgII below the threshold in a natural water sample. This dipstick contains a hybrid material that combines boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) probes sterically loaded into specifically tailored mesoporous silica particles, allowing for ultrasensitive HgII detection through enhanced fluorescence in a few seconds. The applicability in real water samples and fish extracts are also studied.
Antibody-gated indicator delivery (gAID) systems based on mesoporous silica nano- and microparticle scaffolds are a promising class of materials for the sensitive chemical detection of small-molecule analytes in simple test formats such as lateral flow assays (LFAs) or microfluidic chips. Their architecture is reminiscent of drug delivery systems, only that reporter molecules instead of drugs are stored in the voids of a porous host particle. In addition, the pores are closed with macromolecular “caps” through a tailored “gatekeeping” recognition chemistry so that the caps are opened when an analyte has reacted with a “gatekeeper”. The subsequent uncapping leads to a release of a large number of indicator molecules, endowing the system with signal amplification features. Particular benefits of such systems are their modularity and adaptability. With the example of the immunochemical detection of type-I pyrethroids by fluorescent dye-releasing gAID systems, the influence of several tuning modes on the optimisation of such hybrid sensory materials is introduced here. In particular, different mesoporous silica supports (from nano- and microparticles to platelets and short fibres), different functionalisation routes and different loading sequences were assessed. The materials’ performances were evaluated by studying their temporal response behaviour and detection sensitivity, including the tightness of pore closure (through the amount of blank release in the absence of analyte) and the release kinetics. Our results indicate that the better the paratope-accommodating Fab region of the antibody “cap” fits into the host material's pore opening, the better the closing/opening mechanism can be controlled. Because such materials are well-suited for LFAs, performance assessment included a test-strip format besides conventional assays in suspension. In combination with dyes as indicators and smartphones for read-out, simple analytical tests for use by untrained personnel directly at a point-of-need such as an aeroplane cabin can be devised, allowing for sensitivities down to the μg kg−1 range in <5 min with case-required selectivities.
Pollution through emission of toxic gases is of utmost environmental concern, raising the interest in developing reliable gas sensors. Exemplarily, ammonia and its conversion products can provoke considerable damage on human health and ecosystems. Hence, there is a need for reliable and reversible sensor materials to monitor traces of gaseous ammonia in ambient air, which at best can be used on-site for field measurements. Although various types of sensors such as potentiometric, amperometric, and biological sensors are available for detecting trace amounts of gases, fluorescent sensors have gained importance due to several advantages such as high sensitivity, possible miniaturization, as well as potential multiplexing. Herein, we present the development of a sensor material for gaseous ammonia in the lower ppm or even ppb range using optical fluorescence as transduction mechanism due to its intrinsically high sensitivity and high spatial resolution.[1] Therefore, a fluorescent dye, which shows reversible fluorescence enhancement in the presence of the analyte was incorporated into a polymer matrix, the latter to ensure the accumulation of ammonia. To calibrate the designed optical sensor system a gas standard generator was used, producing standard gas mixtures, which comply with the metrological traceability for ammonia gas standards in the desired environmentally relevant measurement range.[2] Beside the development of a highly sensitive, selective, and reversible sensor, the integration of such systems into mobile sensor devices is addressed. Therefore, a prototype of a miniaturized hand-held instrument was developed enabling a straightforward and long-term read-out of the measurement signal.
Um verlässliche Methoden für die medizinische Diagnostik und Umweltanalytik zu entwickeln sowie Zellen zu kultivieren, ist staub- bzw. keimfreies Arbeiten in einem Reinraum erforderlich. Aber was ist ein Reinraum? Viele stellen sich hier sterile Räume, keine Fenster und Personen in weißen Anzügen und Schutzmaske vor. Hier können die Besucher einen Blick hinter die Kulissen werfen und erfahren, was die Eigenschaften und Bedingungen eines Reinraumes sind und welche Anforderungen an die dort Beschäftigten gestellt werden.
Besides the traditional areas of application such as separation and enrichment which made molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) very attractive, they have emerged as a valuable detection tool in the field of environmental analysis due to the low production costs, high stability, format adaptability and the possibility to imprint and thus specifically recognize a wide variety of target analytes. Regarding optical sensing, however, MIPs have only been used in considerably few applications, especially in fluorescence sensors, basically because of the challenge to incorporate a fluorescently responding moiety into a polymer matrix. One way to overcome this limitation is the coating of a thin MIP layer onto the surface of silica nanoparticles using tailor-made fluorescent indicator monomers or cross-linkers for direct transfer of the binding event into an optical signal.
Regarding sensors for environmental monitoring, microfluidic devices utilizing optical detection modules are especially appealing because of their versatility in terms of miniaturization and automation. So far, MIPs have only rarely been used in combination with microfluidic sensor devices.
Here, we present the hydrogen bond-mediated optical response of fluorescent MIP sensor particles against a typical small-molecule analyte 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophen¬oxyacetic acid) which is an important herbicide widely used in agriculture and known to cause adverse health effects when ingested by contaminated water. By combining the sensor particles with droplet-based 3D microfluidics, a microfluidic phase-transfer assay was designed which enables the direct analysis of 2,4-D in river and lake water without sample pre-treatment or clean-up.
There is significant contamination of our water resources and an accelerating accumulation of hazardous species in the aquatic biosphere. Whether for instance mercury as a contaminant constantly released from a multitude of industrial processes or chemical warfare agents (CWAs) such as Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB) or Soman (GD) as highly toxic remnants of World War II, released from dumped containers upon their progressive corrosion, are concerned such hazards can cause serious problems to human health even at low concentration and monitoring them becomes increasingly essential. Conclusively, it is necessary to develop sensors for such hazards that combine high sensitivity, good selectivity, fast responses and can dispense with complex instrumentation.
Here, we present SBA-15-type mesoporous silica materials containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) probes in their pore systems that allow for the sensitive and selective detection of the two target analytes CWAs and Hg2+ in natural waters via a change in the optical properties. In case of Hg2+, the BODIPY dye is directly adsorbed on the (inner and outer) surface of the highly porous material and coordinates the metal ion, leading to an enhancement of fluorescence with a limit of detection (LOD) of 15 ppt. Using the same silica material but incorporating a covalently attached BODIPY dye, the CWAs GA, GD and GB can be detected via fluorescence quenching induced by an intraannular cyclization. The obtained LOD in natural waters is in the pM range and hence below the Maximum Permissible Concentrations for CWAs in drinking water. Aspects of system design as well as application in water and food analysis (fish extracts) will be presented.
There is significant contamination of our water resources and an accelerating accumulation of hazardous species in the aquatic biosphere. Whether for instance mercury as a contaminant constantly released from a multitude of industrial processes or chemical warfare agents (CWAs) such as Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB) or Soman (GD) as highly toxic remnants of World War II, released from dumped containers upon their progressive corrosion, are concerned such hazards can cause serious problems to human health even at low concentration and monitoring them becomes increasingly essential. Conclusively, it is necessary to develop sensors for such hazards that combine high sensitivity, good selectivity, fast responses and can dispense with complex instrumentation.
Here, we present SBA-15-type mesoporous silica materials containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) probes in their pore systems that allow for the sensitive and selective detection of the two target analytes CWAs and Hg2+ in natural waters via a change in the optical properties. In case of Hg2+, the BODIPY dye is directly adsorbed on the (inner and outer) surface of the highly porous material and coordinates the metal ion, leading to an enhancement of fluorescence with a limit of detection (LOD) of 15 ppt. Using the same silica material but incorporating a covalently attached BODIPY dye, the CWAs GA, GD and GB can be detected via fluorescence quenching induced by an intraannular cyclization. The obtained LOD in natural waters is in the pM range and hence below the Maximum Permissible Concentrations for CWAs in drinking water. Aspects of system design as well as application in water and food analysis (fish extracts) will be presented.
In the present paper the development of a semi-automated device for long-term monitoring of gaseous ammonia is described. A sensor material was produced that changes its optical properties in the pres-ence of low concentrations of ammonia in air. The implementation into an electronic device enables precise, simple, economic and fast monitoring of low concentrations of harmful gases, like ammonia, and hence can help to improve the climate monitoring in livestock housing, barns or stables.
Glyphosate (GPS) is the most widely used pesticide in the world whose use increased dramatically after the introduction of genetically modified crops engineered to resist its herbicidal action during application. In recent years, there have been growing concerns over its toxicity following its classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a probable carcinogen as well as reports of its ecotoxicological effects. This resulted in increased efforts to develop quick and sensitive detection methods.
In this work, molecular imprinting was combined with direct fluorescence detection of GPS by improving its solubility in organic solvents using tetrabutylammonium (TBA+) and tetrahexylammonium (THA+) as counterions. To achieve fluorescence detection, a fluorescent crosslinker containing urea binding motifs was used as a probe for GPS-TBA and GPS-THA salts in chloroform, generating stable complexes through hydrogen bond formation. The GPS/fluorescent dye complexes were imprinted into 2–3 nm molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shells on the surface of sub-micron silica particles. Thus, the MIP binding behavior could be easily evaluated by fluorescence titrations in suspension to monitor the spectral changes upon addition of the GPS analytes. While MIPs prepared with GPS-TBA and GPS-THA both displayed satisfactory imprinting following titration with the corresponding analytes in chloroform, GPS-THA MIPs displayed better selectivity against competing molecules. Moreover, the THA+ counterion was found to be a more powerful phase transfer agent than TBA+, enabling the direct fluorescence detection and quantification of GPS in water in a biphasic assay. A limit of detection of 1.45 µM and a linear range of 5–55 µM, which matches well with WHO guidelines for the acceptable daily intake of GPS in water (5.32 µM), have been obtained. The assay can be further optimized to allow miniaturization into microfluidic devices and shows potential for on-field applications by untrained personnel.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a class of synthetic organofluorine chemicals extensively utilized in the manufacturing of various materials such as firefighting foams, adhesives, and stain- and oil-resistant coatings. In recent years, PFAS have been considered as emerging environmental contaminants, with particular focus on perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), the most prevalent type among PFAS. PFCAs are characterized by a fully fluorinated carbon backbone and a charged carboxylic acid headgroup. Notably, they have been designated as Substances of Very High Concern and added to the REACH Candidate List due to their persistence in the environment, non-biodegradability and toxicological effects.
Conventional techniques for the analysis of PFCA, such as GC-MS, HRMS and HPLC-based methods, are laborious, not portable, costly and require skilled personnel. In contrast, fluorescence assays can be designed as easy-to-operate, portable and cost-effective methods with high sensitivity and fast response, especially when analyte binding leads to a specific increase of a probe’s emission. Integration of such probes with a carrier platform and a miniaturized optofluidic device affords a promising alternative for PFCA monitoring.
Here, a novel guanidine BODIPY fluorescent indicator monomer has been synthesized, characterized, and incorporated into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the specific detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The MIP layer was formed on tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride doped silica core particles for optical internal reference and calibration-free assays. Such system allows selective and reliable detection of PFCA from surface water samples, with minimum interference by competitors, matrix effects and other factors. Integration of the assay into an opto-microfluidic setup resulted in a miniaturized and easy-to-operate detection system allowing for micromolar detection of PFOA in less than 15 minutes from surface water sample.
Ammonia and its reaction products can cause considerable damage of human health and ecosystems, increasing the necessity for reliable and reversible sensors to monitor traces of gaseous ammonia in ambient air directly on-site or in the field. Although various types of gas sensors are available, fluorescence sensors have gained importance due to advantages such as high sensitivity and facile miniaturization.
Here, we present the development of a sensor material for the detection of gaseous ammonia in the lower ppm to ppb range by incorporation of a fluorescent dye, which shows reversible fluorescence modulations as a function of analyte concentration, into a polymer matrix to ensure the accumulation of ammonia. A gas standard generator producing standard gas mixtures, which comply with the metrological traceability in the desired environmentally relevant measurement range, was used to calibrate the optical sensor system. To integrate the sensor material into a mobile device, a prototype of a hand-held instrument was developed, enabling straightforward data acquisition over a long period.