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Nano-scale separation techniques (NSTs) offer significant advantages in relation to drug analysis in a wide range of samples. NSTs, including low flow rate LC systems or capillary or chip based electrophoresis/electrochromatography systems, have become the primary tool for advanced drug analysis, and indispensable technology for sensitive and selective drug analysis. In recent decades, significant advances have been achieved using NSTs for drug analysis. In this review, sample preparation strategies, new advances and applications in NSTs and the contribution toward forensic science applications were reported. In addition, some recent and selected applications with or without mass spectrometry (e.g., low resolution/high resolution -MS) are summarized.

Abstract Current practices in synthesizing molecularly imprinted polymers face challenges—lengthy process, low-productivity, the need for expensive and sophisticated equipment, and they cannot be controlled in situ synthesis. Herein, we present a micro-reactor for in situ and continuously synthesizing trillions of molecularly imprinted polymeric nanoparticles that contain molecular fingerprints of bovine serum albumin in a short period of time (5-30 min). Initially, we performed COMSOL simulation to analyze mixing efficiency with altering flow rates, and experimentally validated the platform for synthesizing nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 52-106 nm. Molecular interactions between monomers and protein were also examined by molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Afterwards, we benchmarked the micro-reactor parameters through dispersity and concentration of molecularly imprinted polymers using principal component analysis. Sensing assets of molecularly imprinted polymers were examined on a metamaterial sensor, resulting in 81% of precision with high selectivity (4.5 times), and three cycles of consecutive use. Overall, our micro-reactor stood out for its high productivity (48-288 times improvement in assay-time and 2 times improvement in reagent volume), enabling to produce 1.4-1.5 times more MIPs at one-single step, and continuous production compared to conventional strategy.

Lead (Pb) is a hazardous metal that poses a significant threat to both the environment and human health. The presence of Pb in food products such as honey can pose a significant risk to human health and is therefore important to detect and monitor. In this study, we propose a voltammetric detection method using molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) electrodes to detect Pb (II) ions in honey. Pb (II) ion-imprinted amino acid-based nanoparticles with magnetic properties on a carbon paste electrode (MIP-CPE) were designed to have high sensitivity and selectivity towards Pb (II) ions in the honey sample. Zetasizer measurements, electron spin resonance, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize magnetic polymeric nanoparticles. The results showed that the voltammetric detection method using MIP-CPE was able to accurately detect Pb (II) ions in honey samples with a low detection limit. The proposed method offers a simple, rapid, cost-effective solution for detecting Pb (II) ions in honey. It could potentially be applied to other food products to ensure their safety for human consumption. The MIP-CPE sensor was designed to have high sensitivity and selectivity towards Pb (II) ions in the honey sample. The results showed that the technique was able to deliver highly sensitive results since seven different concentrations were prepared and detected to obtain an R2 of 0.9954, in addition to a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.0912 µM and a low quantification limit (LOQ) of 0.276 µM. Importantly, the analysis revealed no trace of Pb (II) ions in the honey samples obtained from Cyprus.

Microbial colonization on various surfaces is a serious problem. Biofilms from these microbes pose serious health and economic threats. In addition, the recent global pandemic has also attracted great interest in the latest techniques and technology for antimicrobial surface coatings. Incorporating antimicrobial nanocompounds into materials to prevent microbial adhesion or kill microorganisms has become an increasingly challenging strategy. Recently, many studies have been conducted on the preparation of nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties against diseases caused by pathogens. Despite tremendous efforts to produce antibacterial materials, there is little systematic research on antimicrobial coatings. In this article, we set out to provide a comprehensive overview of nanomaterials-based antimicrobial coatings that can be used to stop the spread of contamination to surfaces. Typically, surfaces can be simple deposits of nanomaterials, embedded nanomaterials, as well as nanotubes, nanowires, nanocolumns, nanofibers, nanoneedles, and bio-inspired structures.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are cheap and easily prepared polymers that have specific recognition sites for the target molecule that suitable for recognition. MIPs are also synthetic materials designed to mimic the recognition properties of natural antibodies or receptors. The development of MIPs in optic sensors has introduced a significant novelty in the field of sensing technology. When integrated into optic sensors, MIPs offer several advantages and novel capabilities including selective recognition, versatility, stability and reusability, signal amplification, and tailored sensor design. Microfluidic systems are enable the control and movement of fluids in small volumes within micro-scale channels. MIPs, optic sensors and microfluidic systems have important superior features such as sensitivity, selectivity and low sample requirement. They are used together in the creation of fast, automated and self-contained systems. The combination of advantages makes microfluidic-based MIPs-integrated optic sensors a promising technology for various applications in analytical sciences, biomedical research, and environmental monitoring.In this review, we first described molecular imprinting method, molecularly imprinted polymers, microfluidic systems, optic sensors and then mentioned different microfluidic-based molecularly imprinted polymers-integrated optic sensors platform for various molecule detection as applications in several working fields.

Abstract Amaranth imprinted nanoparticles were prepared by two-phase mini emulsion polymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate using acrylamide and methacrylic acid as functional monomers. The amaranth non-imprinted nanoparticle was prepared with the same procedure without using amaranth. Amaranth imprinted and non-imprinted nanoparticles were attached on the chip surface modified with allyl mercaptan. The surfaces of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor were characterized by the ellipsometry, contact angle, and atomic force microscopy. Amaranth solutions with different concentrations (0.1mg/mL–150mg/mL) were prepared with the pH 7.4 phosphate buffer. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.0180mg/mL and 0.06mg/mL, respectively. When the selectivity of the amaranth imprinted SPR sensor was compared with the competing molecules tartrazine and allura red, it was observed that the target molecule amaranth was 5.64 times and 5.18 times more selective than allura red and tartrazine, respectively. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique (LC-MS) was used for validation studies. According to the results obtained from both SPR sensor and LC-MS analyses, the amaranth recovery (%) from fruit juices was observed between 96% and 99%.

A biomarker is an indicator for sensing the human state of health. There has been a wide-scale investigation into using portable analytical platforms for real-time monitoring of biomarkers. Biomolecular recognition, manufacturing simplification technologies, the integration of microfluidics and optics, and developed approaches to biosensor device integration have quickly moved optical-based sensors to the point of use in the laboratory. Biosensors are analytical tools incorporating a biorecognition element. Optical sensing technology is essential in modern biomedical applications as they provide quick and powerful ways to detect and distinguish target analytes from a diversity of samples. Optical-based biosensors have extra advantages such as high sensitivity, reliability, robustness, and potential to be combined on a sole chip. Recently, optical-based biosensors have been extensively investigated for the detection of diversified biomarkers using a label-free mode or by monitoring the binding of the recognition material and molecules of concern. This critical review article focuses on current progress in sensing techniques including surface plasmon resonance (SPR) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF), whispering gallery mode (WGM), photonic crystals (PCs) and opals using plasmonic nanoparticles to enhance sensitivity for detection of significant biomarkers. As a result, we overview the latest advancement in the growing use of optical biosensors for the virus, bacteria, protein, cell, and cancer biomarker detection. The requirement and future perspective of optical biosensors are also addressed.

Nanoscale separation techniques (Capillary/nano-LC, CE, CEC and Chip based LC/CE/CEC) present a prospective trend in modern analytical chemistry due to allowing high speed analysis, low reagent consumption, high separation efficiency and green chemistry. These techniques are miniaturized techniques offering unique advantages over conventional ones in bioanalytical science and technology, and are gaining ground in a wide research area (e.g. omics, foods, cell structures). These systems are also promising tools for the analysis of very limited samples, especially in omics, and forensic sciences. Focusing on nanoscale separation-based techniques, this review presents recent research on the use of nano-columns. Special attention is given to recent achievements based on nanoscale separation techniques while their potentiality is discussed. Some recent and selected applications with or without mass spectrometry (e.g., low resolution/high resolution -MS) in the period of 2019-to present are also reported.

Here, a molecular imprinting technique was employed to create an SPR-based nanosensor for the selective and sensitive detection of organophosphate-based coumaphos, a toxic insecticide/veterinary drug often used. To achieve this, UV polymerization was used to create polymeric nanofilms using N-methacryloyl-l-cysteine methyl ester, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, which are functional monomers, cross-linkers, and hydrophilicity enabling agents, respectively. Several methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle (CA) analyses, were used to characterize the nanofilms. Using coumaphos-imprinted SPR (CIP-SPR) and non-imprinted SPR (NIP-SPR) nanosensor chips, the kinetic evaluations of coumaphos sensing were investigated. The created CIP-SPR nanosensor demonstrated high selectivity to the coumaphos molecule compared to similar competitor molecules, including diazinon, pirimiphos-methyl, pyridaphenthion, phosalone, N-2,4(dimethylphenyl) formamide, 2,4-dimethylaniline, dimethoate, and phosmet. Additionally, there is a magnificent linear relationship for the concentration range of 0.1–250 ppb, with a low limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.001 and 0.003 ppb, respectively, and a high imprinting factor (I.F.4.4) for coumaphos. The Langmuir adsorption model is the best appropriate thermodynamic approach for the nanosensor. Intraday trials were performed three times with five repetitions to statistically evaluate the CIP-SPR nanosensor’s reusability. Reusability investigations for the two weeks of interday analyses also indicated the three-dimensional stability of the CIP-SPR nanosensor. The remarkable reusability and reproducibility of the procedure are indicated by an RSD% result of less than 1.5. Therefore, it has been determined that the generated CIP-SPR nanosensors are highly selective, rapidly responsive, simple to use, reusable, and sensitive for coumaphos detection in an aqueous solution. An amino acid, which was used to detect coumaphos, included a CIP-SPR nanosensor manufactured without complicated coupling methods and labelling processes. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) studies was performed for the validation studies of the SPR.

Estradiol, a phenolic steroid oestrogen, is one of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) found in natural and tap waters. The detection and removal of EDCs is attracting attention daily as they negatively affect animals’ and humans’ endocrine functions and physiological conditions. Therefore, developing a fast and practical method for the selective removal of EDCs from waters is essential. In this study, we prepared 17β-estradiol (E2)-imprinted HEMA-based nanoparticles onto bacterial cellulose nanofibres (E2-NP/BC-NFs) to use for the removal of E2 from wastewater. FT-IR and NMR confirmed the structure of the functional monomer. The composite system was characterised by BET, SEM, µCT, contact angle, and swelling tests. Additionally, the non-imprinted bacterial cellulose nanofibres (NIP/BC-NFs) were prepared to compare the results of E2-NP/BC-NFs. Adsorption of E2 from aqueous solutions was performed in batch mode and investigated via several parameters for optimisation conditions. The effect of pH studies was examined in the 4.0–8.0 range using acetate and phosphate buffers and a concentration of E2 of 0.5 mg/mL. The maximum E2 adsorption amount was 254 µg/g phosphate buffer at 45 °C. The experimental data show that the Langmuir is a relevant isotherm model for E2 adsorption. Additionally, the relevant kinetic model was the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It was observed that the adsorption process reached equilibrium in less than 20 min. The E2 adsorption decreased with the increase in salt at varying salt concentrations. The selectivity studies were performed using cholesterol and stigmasterol as competing steroids. The results show that E2 is 46.0 times more selective than cholesterol and 21.0 times more selective than stigmasterol. According to the results, the relative selectivity coefficients for E2/cholesterol and E2/stigmasterol were 8.38 and 86.6 times greater for E2-NP/BC-NFs than for E2-NP/BC-NFs, respectively. The synthesised composite systems were repeated ten times to assess the reusability of E2-NP/BC-NFs.

Water contamination by heavy metal pollution is induced by rapid industrialization and urbanization. Removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater is of prime importance for a clean environment and human health. The heavy metal problem is seriously threatened to human health. In addition, these metals are toxic and carcinogenic. They cause serious problems for aquatic ecosystems and especially humans. Different methods have been utilized to remove heavy metals from the wastewater, such as membrane filtration, adsorption, and ion exchange. Adsorption is one of the most efficient processes to clean contaminated water. The adsorption process presents advantages such as availability, low cost, and eco-friendly nature. The commercial adsorbents and the polymeric adsorbents are showed a high removal capacity for heavy metal ions capturing and removing from wastewater. Several researchers have widely used cryogels as a unique bio-adsorbent for heavy metals removal from wastewaters. Cryogels are efficient for the removal of heavy metal ions. This manuscript comprehensively and critically reviews current research in heavy metal adsorption by cryogels that prepared various technology and highlights the main advantages of these materials. Cryogels are synthetic polymers used in adsorption experiments in recent years. Because of their macropores, they provide an excellent advantage as an adsorbent in continuous and batch adsorption processes. The process applied for cryogel formation is called cryogelation. These macroporous gel matrices can be produced with different shapes and the gels are of interest in the bioseparation area since they can meet needs that conventional chromatographic media are less suitable to fulfill. The structure, synthesis, and composition of various cryogels are presented. Cryogels are generally synthesized by bulk polymerization under semifrozen conditions at −12 and 18°C for 12 to 24 h. The cryogels have a high removal capacity rate of over 90%. In the cryogels based studies, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal, surface area, elemental, and computerized microtomography (μCT) analyses can be used for the characterization of cryogels structure.

Abstract The aim of the present study is to develop a surface plasmon resonance sensor for the detection of vitamin B2, vitamin B9, and vitamin B12 in food samples by using the molecular imprinting technique. The vitamin B2, vitamin B9, and vitamin B12 imprinted and the non-imprinted surface plasmon resonance sensor chip surfaces were characterized by using contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance. The real-time detection of vitamin B2, vitamin B9, and vitamin B12 was analyzed by using aqueous solutions in the concentration range of 0.01 ng/mL − 10 ng/mL for vitamin B2, 0.1 ng/mL − 8.0 ng/mL for vitamin B9, and 0.01 ng/mL − 1.5 ng/mL for vitamin B12. The limit of detection values was calculated as 1.6×10−4 ng/mL for vitamin B2, 13.5×10−4 ng/mL for vitamin B9, and 2.5×10−4 ng/mL for vitamin B12, respectively. Selectivity experiments were performed by using vitamin B1 and vitamin B6. The reproducibility of surface plasmon resonance sensors was investigated both on the same day and on different days for four times. Validation studies of the prepared surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors were performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Biosensors are systems that can perform a quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of substances in a liquid or gas environment through their biological recognition sites and transform the acquired data into detectable signals. Biosensors are able to detect physical changes (i.e. as density, mass concentration, etc.) by means of recognition sites and correlate them with electrical or optical quantities (i.e. current, voltage and impedance). In this study, three molecularly imprinted pencil graphite electrodes (PGE) with differing numbers of choline recognition sites, at E-1 M, E-3 M and E-5 M concentration, were used as electrochemical biosensors. An increase in choline receptor concentration on the electrode surface was expected to correlate with an increase in PGE surface bound choline and thus lead to electrical changes. The study was conducted in a three-electrode cell with Ag/AgCl as the reference electrode, platinum wire as the counter electrode and PGE as the working electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance measurements were conducted in 10 mM phosphate buffer solution (PBS) containing 5mM K3[FeCN6]-3/-4 redox pair. As expected, as increasing amount of choline was bound to the complementary recognition sites on choline imprinted PGEs, a correlating change in current, voltage and impedance on PGEs was observed. The dynamic detection range for choline expanded as the choline concentration imprinted on the PGE electrode increased. Using the E-1 M PGE electrode, 72 pM limit of detection, up to 7.2 nM limit of linearity was attained.

The accurate detection of biological substances such as proteins has always been a hot topic in scientific research. Biomimetic sensors seek to imitate sensitive and selective mechanisms of biological systems and integrate these traits into applicable sensing platforms. Molecular imprinting technology has been extensively practiced in many domains, where it can produce various molecular recognition materials with specific recognition capabilities. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), dubbed plastic antibodies, are artificial receptors with high-affinity binding sites for a particular molecule or compound. MIPs for protein recognition are expected to have high affinity via numerous interactions between polymer matrices and multiple functional groups of the target protein. This critical review briefly describes recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, and application of MIP-based sensor platforms used to detect proteins.

Herein, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor is prepared for the detection of l-histidine by attachment of l-histidine imprinted poly(EGDMA-MAH/Cu(II)) nanoparticles on QCM electrode. The imprinted nanoparticles with the size of 86.43 nm were synthesized via miniemulsion polymerization reaction. Prepared QCM sensors were characterized with ellipsometer, contact angle measurements and FTIR. The thickness measurements demonstrated that the particle thin films were almost monolayer. l-histidine solutions with a concentration range between 6.44 μM and 225.6 μM were introduced to QCM system to determine the adsorption kinetics. Selectivity of the l-histidine imprinted nanoparticles were examined using d-histidine and l-tryptophan as competitor molecules. l-histidine imprinted QCM biosensors was also used for RNAase, lysozyme, cytochrome-C and BSA to investigate the competitive adsorption of surface histidine exposed proteins.

Aptamers are important materials for the specific determination of different disease-related biomarkers. Several methods have been enhanced to transform selected target molecule-specific aptamer bindings into measurable signals. A number of specific aptamer-based biosensors have been designed for potential applications in clinical diagnostics. Various methods in combination with a wide variety of nano-scale materials have been employed to develop aptamer-based biosensors to further increase sensitivity and detection limit for related target molecules. In this critical review, we highlight the advantages of aptamers as biorecognition elements in biosensors for target biomolecules. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that electrode material plays an important role in obtaining quick, label-free, simple, stable, and sensitive detection in biological analysis using piezoelectric devices. For this reason, we review the recent progress in growth of aptamer-based QCM biosensors for medical diagnoses, including virus, bacteria, cell, protein, and disease biomarker detection.

A trace element copper (Cu2+) ion is the third most plentiful metal ion that necessary for all living organisms and playing a critical role in several processes. Nonetheless, according to cellular needs, deficient or excess Cu2+ ion cause various diseases. For all these reasons, optical sensors have been focused rapid Cu2+ ion detection in real-time with high selectivity and sensitivity. Optical sensors can measure fluorescence in the refractive index—adsorption from the relationships between light and matter. They have gained great attention in recent years due to the excellent advantages of simple and naked eye recognition, real-time detection, low cost, high specificity against analytes, a quick response, and the need for less complex equipment in analysis. This review aims to show the significance of Cu2+ ion detection and electively current trends in optical sensors. The integration of optical sensors with different systems, such as microfluidic systems, is mentioned, and their latest studies in medical and environmental applications also are depicted. Conclusions and future perspectives on these advances is added at the end of the review.

Herein, gold nanoparticles (AuNP)-modified cortisol-imprinted (AuNP-MIP) plasmonic sensor was developed for signal amplification and real-time cortisol determination in both aqueous and complex solutions. Firstly, the sensor surfaces were modified with 3-(trimethoxylyl)propyl methacrylate and then pre-complex was prepared using the functional monomer N-methacryloyl-L-histidine methyl ester. The monomer solution was made ready for polymerization by adding 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate to ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. In order to confirm the signal enhancing effect of AuNP, only cortisol-imprinted (MIP) plasmonic sensor was prepared without AuNP. To determine the selectivity efficiency of the imprinting process, the non-imprinted (AuNP-NIP) plasmonic sensor was also prepared without cortisol. The characterization studies of the sensors were performed with atomic force microscopy and contact angle measurements. The kinetic analysis of the AuNP-MIP plasmonic sensor exhibited a high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.97) for a wide range (0.01–100 ppb) with a low detection limit (0.0087 ppb) for cortisol detection. Moreover, the high imprinting efficiency (k′ = 9.67) of the AuNP-MIP plasmonic sensor was determined by comparison with the AuNP-NIP plasmonic sensor. All kinetic results were validated and confirmed by HPLC.

The molecular imprinting technique is a quickly developing field of interest regarding the synthesis of artificial recognition elements that enable the specific determination of target molecule/analyte from a matrix. Recently, these smart materials can be successfully applied to biomolecule detection in biomimetic biosensors. These biosensors contain a biorecognition element (a bioreceptor) and a transducer, like their biosensor analogs. Here, the basic difference is that molecular imprinting-based biosensors use a synthetic recognition element. Molecular imprinting polymers used as the artificial recognition elements in biosensor platforms are complementary in shape, size, specific binding sites, and functionality to their template analytes. Recent progress in biomolecular recognition has supplied extra diagnostic and treatment methods for various diseases. Cost-effective, more robust, and high-throughput assays are needed for monitoring biomarkers in clinical settings. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensors are promising tools for the real-time and quick detection of biomolecules in the past two decades A quick, simple-to-use, and cheap biomarkers detection technology based on biosensors has been developed. This critical review presents current applications in molecular imprinting-based quartz crystal microbalance biosensors for the quantification of biomarkers for disease monitoring and diagnostic results.

The accumulation of metal ions in the body is caused by human activities and industrial uses. Among these metal ions, copper is the third most abundant ion found in the human body and is indispensable for health because it works as a catalyst in the iron absorption processes. However, high doses of copper ions have been reported to generate various diseases. Different types of sensors are used to detect metal ions for several applications. To design selective and specific recognition sites on the sensor surfaces, molecular imprinting is one of the most used alteration methods to detect targets by mimicking natural recognition molecules. In this study, an ion-imprinted polymer-integrated plasmonic sensor was prepared to selectively detect copper (Cu(II)) ions in real-time. Following different characterization experiments, the Cu(II)-imprinted plasmonic sensor was employed for kinetic, selectivity, and reusability studies. According to the results, it was observed that this sensor can measure with 96% accuracy in the Cu(II) concentration range of 0.04–5 μM in buffer solution. The limit of detection and limit of quantification values were computed as 0.027 µM and 0.089 µM. The results also showed that this plasmonic sensor works successfully not only in a buffer solution but also in complex media such as plasma and urine.

A molecularly imprinted polymer-based pencil graphite electrode (MIP PGE) sensor, modified with gold nanoparticles, was utilized for the detection of dopamine in the presence of other biochemical compounds using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), depending on its strong electroactivity function. The pulse voltammetry methods recorded the highest response. In addition to the high oxidation rate of DA and the other biomolecule interferences available in the sample matrix used, which cause overlapping voltammograms, we aimed to differentiate them in a highly sensitive limit of detection range. The calibration curves for DA were obtained using the CV and DPV over the concentration range of 0.395–3.96 nM in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 7.4 with a correlation coefficient of 0.996 and a detection limit of 0.193 nM. The electrochemical technique was employed to detect DA molecules quantitatively in human blood plasma selected as real samples without applying any pre-treatment processes. MIP electrodes proved their ability to detect DA with high selectivity, even with epinephrine and norepinephrine competitor molecules and interferences, such as ascorbic acid (AA). The high level of recognition achieved by molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) is essential for many biological and pharmaceutical studies.

Molecularly imprinted polymer-based surface plasmon resonance sensor prepared using silver nanoparticles was designed for the selective recognition of Penicillin G (PEN-G) antibiotic from both aqueous solution and milk sample. PEN-G imprinted sensors (NpMIPs) SPR sensor was fabricated using poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacroyl-(L)-cysteine methyl ester)-silver nanoparticles-N-methacryloyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester polymer by embedding silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the polymeric film structure. In addition, a non-imprinted (NpNIPs) SPR sensor was prepared by utilizing the same polymerization recipe without addition of the PEN-G template molecule to evaluate the imprinting effect. FTIR-ATR spectrophotometer, ellipsometer, contact angle measurements were used for the characterization of NpMIPs SPR sensors. The linear concentration range of 0.01–10 ng/mL PEN-G was studied for kinetic analyses. The augmenting effect of AgNPs used to increase the surface plasmon resonance signal response was examined using polymer-based PEN-G imprinted (MIPs) sensor without the addition of AgNPs. The antibiotic amount present in milk chosen as a real sample was measured by spiking PEN-G into the milk. According to the Scatchard, Langmuir, Freundlich and Langmuir–Freundlich adsorption models, the interaction mechanism was estimated to be compatible with the Langmuir model.

Aflatoxins are a group of extremely toxic and carcinogenic substances generated by the mold of the genus Aspergillus that contaminate agricultural products. When dairy cows ingest aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)−contaminated feeds, it is metabolized and transformed in the liver into a carcinogenic major form of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), which is eliminated through the milk. The detection of AFM1 in milk is very important to be able to guarantee food safety and quality. In recent years, sensors have emerged as a quick, low–cost, and reliable platform for the detection of aflatoxins. Plasmonic sensors with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can be interesting alternatives for the determination of AFM1. In this work, we designed a molecularly–imprinted–based plasmonic sensor to directly detect lower amounts of AFM1 in raw milk samples. For this purpose, we prepared gold–nanoparticle–(AuNP)−integrated polymer nanofilm on a gold plasmonic sensor chip coated with allyl mercaptan. N−methacryloyl−l−phenylalanine (MAPA) was chosen as a functional monomer. The MIP nanofilm was prepared using the light–initiated polymerization of MAPA and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in the presence of AFM1 as a template molecule. The developed method enabled the detection of AFM1 with a detection limit of 0.4 pg/mL and demonstrated good linearity (0.0003 ng/mL–20.0 ng/mL) under optimized experimental conditions. The AFM1 determination was performed in random dairy farmer milk samples. Using the analogous mycotoxins, it was also demonstrated that the plasmonic sensor platforms were specific to the detection of AFM1.

Microfluidic devices have led to novel biological advances through the improvement of micro systems that can mimic and measure. Microsystems easily handle sub-microliter volumes, obviously with guidance presumably through laminated fluid flows. Microfluidic systems have production methods that do not need expert engineering, away from a centralized laboratory, and can implement basic and point of care analysis, and this has attracted attention to their widespread dissemination and adaptation to specific biological issues. The general use of microfluidic tools in clinical settings can be seen in pregnancy tests and diabetic control, but recently microfluidic platforms have become a key novel technology for cancer diagnostics. Cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases that needs a multimodal paradigm to diagnose, manage, and treat. Using advanced technologies can enable this, providing better diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients. Microfluidic tools have evolved as a promising tool in the field of cancer such as detection of a single cancer cell, liquid biopsy, drug screening modeling angiogenesis, and metastasis detection. This review summarizes the need for the low-abundant blood and serum cancer diagnosis with microfluidic tools and the progress that has been followed to develop integrated microfluidic platforms for this application in the last few years.

In this work, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based immunosensor was prepared by the immobilization of the amine-functionalized gold nanoparticles (N-AuNPs) on the sensing surface to sense immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in the aqueous solution and artificial plasma. The characterization studies of SPR based immunosensor for IgM detection were performed with scanning electron microscope (SEM), contact angle measurements, and ellipsometry. Kinetic studies for the IgM immunosensor were carried out in the range of 1.0 to 200 ng/mL IgM concentrations in an aqueous solution. The total IgM analysis time including adsorption, desorption, and regeneration cycles was nearly 10 min for the prepared immunosensor. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found as 0.08 and 0.26 ng/mL, respectively. The reusability of the proposed immunosensor was tested with 6 consecutive adsorption-desorption, and regeneration cycles. Also, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was utilized in the validation of the immunosensor.

Abstract Mercury(II) ions are emerging as a result of more human activity, especially coal‐fired power plants, industrial processes, waste incineration plants, and mining. The mercury found in different forms after spreading around diffuses the nature of other living things. Although the damage to health is not yet clear, it is obvious that it is the cause of many diseases. This work detects the problem of mercury(II) ions, one of the active pollutants in wastewater. For this purpose, it is possible to detect the smallest amount of mercury(II) ions by means of the mercury(II) ions suppressed quartz crystal microbalance nanosensor developed. Zinc(II) and cadmium(II) ions are chosen as competitor elements. Developed nanosensor technology is known as the ideal method in the laboratory environment to detect mercury(II) ions from wastewater because of its low cost and precise result orientation. The range of linearity and the limit of detection are measured as 0.25 × 10−9–50 × 10−9 m. The detection limit is found to be 0.21 × 10−9 m. The mercury(II) ions imprinted nanosensors prepared according to the obtained experimental findings show high selectivity and sensitivity to detect mercury(II) ions from wastewater.

Cryogels are interconnected macroporous materials that are synthesized from a monomer solution at sub-zero temperatures. Cryogels, which are used in various applications in many research areas, are frequently used in biomedicine applications due to their excellent properties, such as biocompatibility, physical resistance and sensitivity. Cryogels can also be prepared in powder, column, bead, sphere, membrane, monolithic, and injectable forms. In this review, various examples of recent developments in biomedical applications of injectable cryogels, which are currently scarce in the literature, made from synthetic and natural polymers are discussed. In the present review, several biomedical applications of injectable cryogels, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, therapeutic, therapy, cell transplantation, and immunotherapy, are emphasized. Moreover, it aims to provide a different perspective on the studies to be conducted on injectable cryogels, which are newly emerging trend.

The heterogeneity and metastatic features of cancer cells lead to a great number of casualties in the world. Additionally, its diagnosis as well as its treatment is highly expensive. Therefore, development of simple but effective diagnostic systems which detect the molecular markers of cancer is of great importance. The molecular changes on cancer cell membranes serve as targets, such as HER2/neu receptor which is detected on the surface of highly metastatic breast cancer cells. We have aimed to develop a specific and simple quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based system to identify HER2/neu expressing breast cancer cells via a receptor-specific monoclonal antibody. First, the QCM chip was coated with polymeric nanoparticles composed of hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA). The nanoparticle coated QCM chip was then functionalized by binding of HER2/neu antibody. The breast cancer cells with/without HER2/neu receptor expression, namely, SKBR3, MDA-MB 231 and also mouse fibroblasts were passed over the chip at a rate of 10–500 cells/mL and the mass changes (Δm) on cell/cm2 unit surface of sensor were detected in real-time. The detection limit of the system was 10 cells/mL. Thus, this QCM-based HER2/neu receptor antibody functionalized system might be used effectively in the detection of HER2/neu expressing SKBR3 breast cancer cells.

In this study, we designed a simple, rapid, sensitive and selective surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor for detection of L-phenylalaine by utilizing molecular imprinting technology. l-phenylalanine imprinted and non-imprinted poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-methacryloyl-l-phenylalanine) polymeric films were synthesized onto SPR chip surfaces using ultraviolet polymerization. l-phenyalanine imprinted and non-imprinted SPR sensors were characterized by using contact angle, atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry. After characterization studies, kinetic studies were carried out in the concentration range of 5.0–400.0 μM. The limit of detection and quantification were obtained as 0.0085 and 0.0285 μM, respectively. The response time for the test including equilibration, adsorption and desorption was approximately 9 min. The selectivity studies of the l-phenylalanine imprinted SPR sensor was performed in the presence of d-phenylalanine and l-tryptophan. Validation studies were carried out via enzyme-linked immunosorbent analysis technique in order to demonstrate the applicability and superiority of the l-phenylalanine imprinted SPR sensor.

Sensors are excellent options owing to their ability to figure out a large number of problems and challenges in several areas, including homeland security, defense, medicine, pharmacology, industry, environment, agriculture, food safety, and so on. Plasmonic sensors are used as detection devices that have important properties, such as rapid recognition, real-time analysis, no need labels, sensitive and selective sensing, portability, and, more importantly, simplicity in identifying target analytes. This review summarizes the state-of-art molecular recognition of biological and chemical threat agents. For this purpose, the principle of the plasmonic sensor is briefly explained and then the use of plasmonic sensors in the monitoring of a broad range of biological and chemical threat agents is extensively discussed with different types of threats according to the latest literature. A conclusion and future perspectives are added at the end of the review.

In this study, composite polymeric cryogel cartridges were achieved by using Cd(II) imprinted poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate N-methacryloly-(L)-cysteine methylester) beads and poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel cartridges with two different mole ratios of functional monomer. The N-methacryloly-(L)-cysteinemethylester was used as a functional monomer and Cd(II) 1:1 and 2:1, which were then notated as MIP1 and MIP2, respectively. Various characterization methods have confirmed the structural transformation on the MIP1 and MIP2 composite cryogel cartridges by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance, and swelling tests. The maximum amount of Cd(II) adsorption with composite cryogel cartridges was determined by altering the Cd(II) initial concentration, temperature, and pH values. The maximum adsorption capacity of MIP1 and MIP2 composite cryogel cartridges obtained was 76.35 and 98.8 µmol/g of composite cryogels, respectively. The adsorption studies revealed that the MIP2 possessed a good adsorption performance for Cd(II). The obtained composite cryogel cartridges have a selective, reusable, and cost-friendly potential for the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solutions, and are used many times without decreasing their adsorption capacities significantly. The Cd(II) removal rate of the MIP1 and MIP2 composite cryogel cartridges from synthetic wastewater samples was determined as 98.8%. The obtained cryogel cartridges’ adsorption material exhibited a good directional removal performance for Cd(II) from wastewater samples.

Understanding the fundamentals of natural design, structure, and function has pushed the limits of current knowledge and has enabled us to transfer knowledge from the bench to the market as a product. In particular, biomimicry―one of the crucial strategies in this respect―has allowed researchers to tackle major challenges in the disciplines of engineering, biology, physics, materials science, and medicine. It has an enormous impact on these fields with pivotal applications, which are not limited to the applications of biocompatible tooth implants, programmable drug delivery systems, biocompatible tissue scaffolds, organ-on-a-chip systems, wearable platforms, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), and smart biosensors. Among them, MIPs provide a versatile strategy to imitate the procedure of molecular recognition precisely, creating structural fingerprint replicas of molecules for biorecognition studies. Owing to their affordability, easy-to-fabricate/use features, stability, specificity, and multiplexing capabilities, host-guest recognition systems have largely benefitted from the MIP strategy. This review article is structured with four major points: (i) determining the requirement of biomimetic systems and denoting multiple examples in this manner; (ii) introducing the molecular imprinting method and reviewing recent literature to elaborate the power and impact of MIPs on a variety of scientific and industrial fields; (iii) exemplifying the MIP-integrated systems, i.e., chromatographic systems, lab-on-a-chip systems, and sensor systems; and (iv) closing remarks.

Human immunoglobulin M (hIgM) antibodies are considered as hopeful tools for diseases therapy. Therefore, chromatography approaches are used to purify hIgM with a single step. In this study, we prepared a poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) based immunoaffinity p(HEMA-I) cryogel column by using cyanamide to immobilize antihuman immunoglobulin on the p(HEMA) cryogel for purification of hIgM in aqueous solution and artificial human plasma. The characterization of the p(HEMA) cryogel column was performed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), micro-computerized tomography (µ-CT), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), swelling degree and macro-porosity. Further, the optimizations of various parameters were performed such as, pH, ionic strength, temperature and concentration of hIgM in aqueous solutions. In addition, the Langmuir adsorption model was supported by experimental results. Maximum adsorbed amount of hIgM corresponded to 11.1 mg/g at pH 5.75 [morpholino ethanesulfonic acid (MES buffer)]. Our results indicated that the p(HEMA-I) cryogel column can be reused at least 10 times without significant loss in adsorption capacity. As a natural source, artificial human plasma was selected for hIgM adsorption and the purity of hIgM was evaluated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).

Fast progress has been witnessed in the field of microfluidic systems and allowed outstanding approaches to portable, disposable, low-cost, and easy-to-operate platforms especially for monitoring health status and point-of-care applications. For this purpose, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based microfluidics systems can be synthesized using desired templates to create specific and selective cavities for interaction. This technique guarantees a wide range of versatility to imprint diverse sets of biomolecules with different structures, sizes, and physical and chemical features. Owing to their physical and chemical robustness, cost-friendliness, high stability, and reusability, MIP-based microfluidics systems have become very attractive modalities. This review is structured according to the principles of MIPs and microfluidic systems, the integration of MIPs with microfluidic systems, the latest strategies and uses for point-of-care applications and, finally, conclusions and future perspectives.

Poly(HEMA) cryogel disks were synthesized by free radical polymerization of 2-hydroxy-ethylmethacrylate (HEMA), and then Cibacron Blue F3GA (CB), Reactive Green 19 (RG) and Congo Red (CR) were immobilized as dye ligands. Disks were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and swelling degree, porosity calculations. Cd2+ adsorption experiments were performed for 60 min. Maximum adsorption capacities were determined as 25.5 mg/g; 48.0 mg/g and 28.5 mg/g at pH = 7.0 for poly(HEMA)-CB; poly(HEMA)-RG and poly(HEMA)-CR, respectively. Langmuir isotherm fitted best with the adsorption data and adsorption thermodynamics showed that Cd2+ adsorption is thermodynamically favorable and a physisorption process. A great majority of adsorbed Cd2+ desorbed with 1 M NaCl and cryogel disks can be re-used in adsorption experiments. Cd2+ removal efficiencies of disks from human plasma are approximately 45 %. Dye-attached cryogel disks synthesized in this study have potential in use for environmental and therapeutic applications.

Molecular imprinting is an effective method to create selective binding sites in polymeric matrices for biomolecule recognition. This review gives recent improvements of the design and preparation of selective binding sites via metal coordination interactions in molecularly imprinted polymers MIPs and focuses on particularly metal coordination bonds between biomolecules such as amino acids, peptides, proteins and templated polymers. The discussion will evaluate key parameters for molecular imprinting in the perspective of metal coordination.

Human fecal contamination is a crucial threat that results in difficulties in access to clean water. Enterococcus faecalis is a bacteria which is utilized as an indicator in polluted water. Nevertheless, existing strategies face several challenges, including low affinity and the need for labelling, which limit their access to large scale applications. Herein, a label-free fingerprint of the surface proteins of waterborne bacteria on a sensor was demonstrated for real-time bacteria detection from aqueous and water samples. The kinetic performance of the sensor was evaluated and shown to have a range of detection that spanned five orders of magnitude, having a low detection limit (3.4 × 104 cfu/mL) and a high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.9957). The sensor also designated a high selectivity while other competitor bacteria were employed. The capability for multiple usage and long shelf-life are superior to other modalities. This is an impressive surface modification method that uses the target itself as a recognition element, ensuring a broad range of variability to replicate others with different structure, size and physical and chemical properties.

Infectious diseases still pose an omnipresent threat to global and public health, especially in many countries and rural areas of cities. Underlying reasons of such serious maladies can be summarized as the paucity of appropriate analysis methods and subsequent treatment strategies due to the limited access of centralized and equipped health care facilities for diagnosis. Biosensors hold great impact to turn our current analytical methods into diagnostic strategies by restructuring their sensing module for the detection of biomolecules, especially nano-sized objects such as protein biomarkers and viruses. Unquestionably, current sensing platforms require continuous updates to address growing challenges in the diagnosis of viruses as viruses change quickly and spread largely from person-to-person, indicating the urgency of early diagnosis. Some of the challenges can be classified in biological barriers (specificity, low number of targets, and biological matrices) and technological limitations (detection limit, linear dynamic range, stability, and reliability), as well as economical aspects that limit their implementation into resource-scarce settings. In this review, the principle and types of biosensors and their applications in the diagnosis of distinct infectious diseases were comprehensively explained. The deployment of current biosensors into resource-scarce settings is further discussed for virus detection by elaborating the pros and cons of existing methods as a conclusion and future perspective.

Supermacroporous gels, called cryogels, are unique scaffolds that can be prepared by polymerization of monomer solution under sub-zero temperatures. They are widely used in many applications and have significant potential biomaterials, especially for biomedical applications due to their inherent interconnected supermacroporous structures and easy formation of composite polymers in comparison to other porous polymer synthesis techniques. This review highlights the fundamentals of supermacroporous cryogels and composite cryogels, and then comprehensively summarizes recent studies in preparation, functionalization, and utilization with mechanical, biological and physicochemical features, according to the biomedical applications. Furthermore, conclusions and outlooks are discussed for the use of these promising and durable supermacroporous composite cryogels.

Sensors have been extensively used owing to multiple advantages, including exceptional sensing performance, user-friendly operation, fast response, high sensitivity and specificity, portability, and real-time analysis. In recent years, efforts in sensor realm have expanded promptly, and it has already presented a broad range of applications in the fields of medical, pharmaceutical and environmental applications, food safety, and homeland security. In particular, molecularly imprinted polymer based sensors have created a fascinating horizon for surface modification techniques by forming specific recognition cavities for template molecules in the polymeric matrix. This method ensures a broad range of versatility to imprint a variety of biomolecules with different size, three dimensional structure, physical and chemical features. In contrast to complex and time-consuming laboratory surface modification methods, molecular imprinting offers a rapid, sensitive, inexpensive, easy-to-use, and highly selective approaches for sensing, and especially for the applications of diagnosis, screening, and theranostics. Due to its physical and chemical robustness, high stability, low-cost, and reusability features, molecularly imprinted polymer based sensors have become very attractive modalities for such applications with a sensitivity of minute structural changes in the structure of biomolecules. This review aims at discussing the principle of molecular imprinting method, the integration of molecularly imprinted polymers with sensing tools, the recent advances and strategies in molecular imprinting methodologies, their applications in medical, and future outlook on this concept.

The application of interconnected supermacroporous cryogels as support matrices for the purification, separation and immobilization of whole cells and different biological macromolecules has been well reported in literature. Cryogels have advantages over traditional gel carriers in the field of biochromatography and related biomedical applications. These matrices nearly mimic the three-dimensional structure of native tissue extracellular matrix. In addition, mechanical, osmotic and chemical stability of cryogels make them attractive polymeric materials for the construction of scaffolds in tissue engineering applications and in vitro cell culture, separation materials for many different processes such as immobilization of biomolecules, capturing of target molecules, and controlled drug delivery. The low mass transfer resistance of cryogel matrices makes them useful in chromatographic applications with the immobilization of different affinity ligands to these materials. Cryogels have been introduced as gel matrices prepared using partially frozen monomer or polymer solutions at temperature below zero. These materials can be produced with different shapes and are of interest in the therapeutic area. This review highlights the recent advances in cryogelation technologies by emphasizing their biomedical applications to supply an overview of their rising stars day to day.

Aquatic and terrestrial environment and human health have been seriously threatened with the release of metal-containing wastewater by the rapid growth in the industry. There are various methods which have been used for removal of ions from the environment, such as membrane filtration, ion exchange, membrane assisted liquid extraction and adsorption. As a sort of special innovation, a polymerization technique, namely molecular imprinting is carried out by specific identification for the target by mixing it with a functional monomer. After the polymerization occurred, the target ion can be removed with suitable methods. At the end of this process, specific cavities, namely binding sites, are able to recognize target ions selectively. However, the selectivity of the molecularly imprinted polymer is variable not only because of the type of ligand but also charge, size coordination number, and geometry of the target ion. In this review, metal ion-imprinted polymeric materials that can be applied for metal ion removal from different sources are discussed and exemplified briefly with different metal ions.

Immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography is one of the methods used for the adsorption of proteins. In this study, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) cryogel discs were prepared by free radical polymerization. The metal chelating groups were polymeric chain of poly-( l )-histidine (mol wt ≥ 5000) having poly-imidazole ring sequence. Then, Cu(II), Zn(II), and Ni(II) ions were separately chelated on the poly-( l )-histidine immobilized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) cryogel discs to be used in immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography separation of lysozyme. The swelling test, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and scanning electron microscopy were performed to characterize both poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and poly-( l )-histidine immobilized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) cryogel discs. The effects of the pH, lysozyme concentration, adsorption time, and ionic strength on the adsorption capacity were studied. These parameters were varied between 4.0 and 8.0 for pH, 0.0 and 2.0 mg/ml for initial lysozyme concentration, 0 and 120 min for adsorption time, and 0.0 and 1.0 µM for ionic strength. The maximum lysozyme adsorption capacity of the Cu(II), Zn(II), and Ni(II) ions chelated poly-( l )-histidine immobilized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) cryogel discs was 36.4, 26.8, and 17.3 mg/g cryogel, respectively. Desorption of lysozyme from cryogel discs was easily achieved by 1.0 M NaCI solution. Repeated adsorption-elution processes showed that these cryogel discs were suitable for repeatable lysozyme adsorption. Adsorption isotherms fitted to Langmuir model and adsorption kinetics suited to pseudo-second order model. Thermodynamic parameters (i.e. ΔH°, ΔS°, ΔG°) were also calculated from Langmuir isotherms at different temperatures.

Hemoglobin is an iron carrying protein in erythrocytes and also an essential element to transfer oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. Abnormalities in hemoglobin concentration are closely correlated with health status and many diseases, including thalassemia, anemia, leukemia, heart disease, and excessive loss of blood. Particularly in resource-constrained settings existing blood analyzers are not readily applicable due to the need for high-level instrumentation and skilled personnel, thereby inexpensive, easy-to-use, and reliable detection methods are needed. Herein, a molecular fingerprints of hemoglobin on a nanofilm chip was obtained for real-time, sensitive, and selective hemoglobin detection using a surface plasmon resonance system. Briefly, through the photopolymerization technique, a template (hemoglobin) was imprinted on a monomeric (acrylamide) nanofilm on-chip using a cross-linker (methylenebisacrylamide) and an initiator-activator pair (ammonium persulfate-tetramethylethylenediamine). The molecularly imprinted nanofilm on-chip was characterized by atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry, followed by benchmarking detection performance of hemoglobin concentrations from 0.0005 mg mL−1 to 1.0 mg mL−1. Theoretical calculations and real-time detection implied that the molecularly imprinted nanofilm on-chip was able to detect as little as 0.00035 mg mL−1 of hemoglobin. In addition, the experimental results of hemoglobin detection on the chip well-fitted with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model with high correlation coefficient (0.99) and association and dissociation coefficients (39.1 mL mg−1 and 0.03 mg mL−1) suggesting a monolayer binding characteristic. Assessments on selectivity, reusability and storage stability indicated that the presented chip is an alternative approach to current hemoglobin-targeted assays in low-resource regions, as well as antibody-based detection procedures in the field. In the future, this molecularly imprinted nanofilm on-chip can easily be integrated with portable plasmonic detectors, improving its access to these regions, as well as it can be tailored to detect other proteins and biomarkers.

Identification of pathogenic microorganisms by traditional methods is slow and cumbersome. Therefore, the focus today is on developing new and quicker analytical methods. In this study, a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor with a microcontact imprinted sensor chip was developed for detecting Salmonella paratyphi. For this purpose, the stamps of the target microorganism were prepared and then, microcontact S. paratyphi-imprinted SPR chips were prepared with the functional monomer N-methacryloyl-L-histidine methyl ester (MAH). Characterization studies of the SPR chips were carried out with ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The real-time Salmonella paratyphi detection was performed within the range of 2.5 × 106–15 × 106 CFU/mL. Selectivity of the prepared sensors was examined by using competing bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The imprinting efficiency of the prepared sensor system was determined by evaluating the responses of the SPR chips prepared with both molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs). Real sample experiments were performed with apple juice. The recognition of Salmonella paratyphi was achieved using these SPR sensor with a detection limit of 1.4 × 106 CFU/mL. In conclusion, SPR sensor has the potential to serve as an excellent candidate for monitoring Salmonella paratyphi in food supplies or contaminated water and clearly makes it possible to develop rapid and appropriate control strategies.

This study aims the preparation of a QCM sensor for the detection of bilirubin in human plasma. Bilirubin-imprinted poly-(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-l-tryptophan methyl ester) (PHEMATrp) nanofilm (MIP) on the gold surface of a QCM chip was synthesized by the molecular imprinting technique. Meanwhile, the non-imprinted PHEMATrp (NIP) nanofilm was synthesized by the same experimental technique to examine the imprinting effect. Characterization of MIP and NIP nanofilms on the QCM chip surface was achieved by atomic force microscopy (AFM), ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and contact angle measurements (CA). The observations indicated that the nanofilm was almost in a monolayer. Thereinafter, the imprinted and the non-imprinted QCM chips were connected to the QCM system to investigate kinetic and affinity properties. In order to examine the selectivity of the MIP-PHEMATrp nanofilm, competitive adsorption of bilirubin with cholesterol and estradiol was performed. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) values were calculated as 0.45 μg/mL and 0.9 μg/mL, respectively.