Themed collection Sensor Targets

Guest editors Christopher J. Chang, Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson and Tony D. James introduce the Sensor Targets issue of Chemical Society Reviews

A fluorophore can be combined with a receptor according to a molecular engineering design in order to yield fluorescent sensing and switching devices.

This highlight provides a brief overview on luminescent cation detection strategies derived from a wide variety of organic and organometallic architectures, including those based on the ion-receptor complementarity, integrated with the extension of the concept of supramolecular chemistry and those using the irreversible analyte-specific reactions.

Quantitative determination of specific analytes is essential for a variety of applications ranging from life sciences to environmental monitoring.

In this Highlight, we emphasize some representative strategies including nanoparticle-encapsulating dyes, dye-doped nanoparticles and molecular engineering for stabilizing fluorophores.

The use of zeolites and metal–organic frameworks in the sensing of gases emitted from automobile exhausts is reviewed.

The structural diversity of carbon nanomaterials provides an array of unique electronic, magnetic and optical properties, which when combined with their robust chemistry and ease of manipulation, makes them attractive candidates for sensor applications. In this review recent developments in the use of carbon nanoparticles and nanostructures as sensors and biosensors are explored.

This review describes the recognition and sensing techniques of proteins and their building blocks by use of small synthetic binders.

Luminescent sensors and switches continue to play a key role in shaping our understanding of key biochemical processes, assist in the diagnosis of disease and contribute to the design of new drugs and therapies.

This review surveys fluorescent probes for copper, emphasizing desirable criteria for their effective use for discovery and study of new metal biology.

Here, we provide an overview of the reported fluorescent detection systems for gold and silver species, and discuss their sensing properties with promising features.

This critical review focuses on the development of fluorescent sensors (fall into three classes: “turn-off”, “turn-on”, and ratiometric), colorimetric sensors, and responsive MRI contrast agents for the first-row d-block metals (except Cu and Zn): Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni (242 references).

What you need to know about poly(aryleneethynylene)s as sensory materials. A tutorial of fundamental properties and new developments since 2009.

We illustrate the principles underlying the rational construction of luminescent sensors by combining semiconductor nanocrystal and molecular components, and describe the representative examples of sensors for ionic and molecular analytes.

Nanoparticles provide versatile platforms for cell-surface sensing for diagnostic and screening applications.

Recent advances in four classes of non-small-molecule based chirality sensors are reviewed.

We summarise the development and application of fluorogenic composite materials (FCMs) based on graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for detection of disease related proteins on both the molecular and cellular levels.

This tutorial review outlines the concept of aggregation-induced emission and its utility in biosensing applications.

This Tutorial Review provides a short survey of anion sensing by small molecule anion receptors, molecular ensembles and chemodosimeters.