Molecularly Imprinted Plasmonic Sensors as Nano-Transducers: An Effective Approach for Environmental Monitoring Applications

Abstract

Molecularly imprinted plasmonic nanosensors are robust devices capable of selective target interaction, and in some cases reaction catalysis. Recent advances in control of nanoscale structure have opened the door for development of a wide range of chemosensors for environmental monitoring. The soaring rate of environmental pollution through human activities and its negative impact on the ecosystem demands an urgent interest in developing rapid and efficient techniques that can easily be deployed for in-field assessment and environmental monitoring purposes. Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) play a significant role for agricultural use; however, they also present environmental threats to human health due to their chemical toxicity. Plasmonic sensors are thus vital analytical detection tools that have been explored for many environmental applications and OPP detection due to their excellent properties such as high sensitivity, selectivity, and rapid recognition capability. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have also significantly been recognized as a highly efficient, low-cost, and sensitive synthetic sensing technique that has been adopted for environmental monitoring of a wide array of environmental contaminants, specifically for very small molecule detection. In this review, the general concept of MIPs and their synthesis, a summary of OPPs and environmental pollution, plasmonic sensing with MIPs, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) MIP sensors, and nanomaterial-based sensors for environmental monitoring applications and OPP detection have been elucidated according to the recent literature. In addition, a conclusion and future perspectives section at the end summarizes the scope of molecularly imprinted plasmonic sensors for environmental applications.

Preparation and Application Progress of Imprinted Polymers

“…The template near the center has a slow removal and recognition rate, so they can only be used for the selective recognition of metal ions or organic molecules. For surface imprinted polymers [ 32 , 33 ], templates are located in the surface layer, making the fast removal and recognition of templates, which can be used for the recognition of most substrates. For the epitope imprinted polymers, only the exposed chain segments in the macromolecules are used as templates in the MIPs preparation, resulting in a very fast removal and recognition of templates, making them very suitable for the recognition of biological macromolecules [ 31 ].…”

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Technology for the Advancement of Its Health Surveillances and Environmental Monitoring

“…There has been a rapid development in advanced analytical chemistry for health and environmental surveillance applications, especially in emerging areas for the development of chemical sensors and biosensors. , This is because of meeting new demands and opportunities, specifically in areas like drug screening, environmental analysis, clinical diagnostics, illicit drug detection, food analysis, production monitoring, chemical warfare agents, and genotoxicity. − Significant progress has been made in environmental monitoring thanks to cutting-edge research and technologies. New methods for tracking and evaluating environmental conditions to address pressing issues such as resource depletion, pollution, and climate change are under development. , In this part, we explore a few recent and pertinent research projects that highlight the ever-changing field of environmental monitoring. The creation and use of remote sensing technologies for air quality monitoring is one well-known field of study. ,, More precise and thorough assessments of pollution levels in urban and rural areas are made possible using sophisticated sensor equipped drones and advanced satellite systems to gather real-time data on air pollutants.…”

“…The creation and use of remote sensing technologies for air quality monitoring is one well-known field of study. ,, More precise and thorough assessments of pollution levels in urban and rural areas are made possible using sophisticated sensor equipped drones and advanced satellite systems to gather real-time data on air pollutants. To build intelligent monitoring systems, the combination of modern sensors and internet of things technologies are constantly being explored. ,,, These systems can monitor various environmental parameters, including temperature, noise levels, and air quality. Furthermore, the application of machine learning for environmental monitoring systems generates large data sets, which are increasingly being analyzed using machine learning algorithms.…”