Nanoparticle-enhanced fluorescence emission for non-separation assays of carbohydrates using a boronic acid–alizarin complex

Abstract

Addition of crosslinked polymer nanoparticles into a solution of a 3-nitrophenylboronic acid–alizarin complex leads to significant enhancement of fluorescence emission. Using the nanoparticle-enhanced boronic acid–alizarin system has improved greatly the sensitivity and extended the dynamic range of separation-free fluorescence assays for carbohydrates.