Themed collection Analytical Nanoscience

Russ Algar, Tim Albrecht, Karen Faulds and Jun-Jie Zhu introduce the Analyst themed collection on analytical nanoscience.

Recent progress in applying surface-enhanced (resonance) Raman spectroscopy as a novel technique for therapeutic monitoring of anticancer drugs are discussed.

This minireview surveys plasmon-enhanced fluorescence in core–shell nanoarchitectures, including examples of applications in multiplex sensing and substrate-based approaches.

A review of recent literature on rational design, development, and biological applications of engineered nanoparticles with an adsorbed protein corona.

Using light as an external stimulus plays a key role not only in modulating activities of nanozymes, but also in constructing efficient biosensing systems.

Multiplexed detections based on optical nanomaterials.

Fractal nanostructures exhibit optical properties that span the visible to far-infrared and are emerging as exciting structures for plasmon-mediated applications.

This tutorial review explores how three of the most common methods for introducing nanoparticles to single cells for surface-enhanced Raman scattering measurements can be adapted for experiments with complex tissues.

Fluorescent organic nanoparticle (FON)-based chemosensors are emerging as a valuable tool for the fast and accurate detection of metal ions in aqueous media. In this review, we highlight the recent developments in this field.

Stimuli-responsive polymer (SRP)-based nanoparticles and SRP/nanomaterial hybrids have myriad applications, we review their uses for chemical sensing and biosensing.

Recent advances in the detection of HClO/ClO⁻in vitro and in vivo using fluorescent, phosphorescent and chemiluminescent probes are reviewed.

Recent advances of plasmonic nanoparticle-based optical detection systems for various analytes in homogeneous solution and at the single-nanoparticle level are summarized.

This review highlights functional roles of nanomaterials for advancing conventional ELISA assays by serving as substrate-alternatives, enzyme-alternatives, or non-enzyme amplifiers.

This review describes recent efforts in the application of nanomaterials as sensing elements in electrochemical and optical miRNAs assays.

Compared with the conventional ensemble averaged measurements, single object analysis with optical microscopy can obtain the heterogeneous behavior of many individual objects, avoiding false judgment. Moreover, higher spatial and temporal resolution has been achieved by various optical imaging technologies.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has attracted much attention in various fields of analysis owing to low background signals, high sensitivity, and excellent controllability.

Recent advances in lateral flow immunoassay-based devices as a point-of-care analytical tool for the detection of infectious diseases are reviewed.

We present a smartphone-based portable Raman spectrometer, which has a friendly human–machine interface, easy operation, rapid response time, and most importantly a very small size for on-site use.

Manipulation of quantum dot (QD) properties improves QD–QD energy transfer enabling the concerted design of visual color change-based sensors.

Functionalized plasmonic Ag nano-assemblies moving in a living cell were employed to visualize the spatiotemporal change of intracellular pH by surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Arsenite cannot crosslink glutathione-capped gold nanoparticles but a high concentration of arsenite can displace adsorbed glutathione, indicating that any two species from gold, thiol and arsenite can react.

Adaptation of conventional lateral flow tests: demonstration of a lateral flow assay in which gold nanoparticle conjugates, when bound to aptamers, serve as a reporting system to screen novel aptamers for the ability to bind to target proteins.

An approach for the quantification of formamidopyrimidine DNA glucosylase is designed based on phosphate group-modulated multi-enzyme catalysis and fluorescent copper nanoclusters.

Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNCs) are biocompatible cellulose nanomaterials that can host guest nanoparticles to form hybrid nanocomposites with a wide range of applications.

Novel multimodal assay has been developed to quantify circulating microRNAs through a combined surface-enhanced Raman scattering and plasmon-enhanced fluorescence approach.

A colorimetric sulfur dioxide (SO₂) gas sensor based on a core–shell composite was developed.

Methods based on prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) have been reported for photothermal immunoassays in analytical nanoscience fields but most suffer from low sensitivity and are not beneficial for routine use.

A new type of core–shell composite material was prepared and applied as a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) stationary phase.

Discrete plasmonic gold nanoparticle assemblies rapidly detect ATP in single cells and microenvironments without labelling, extraction, purification or separation.

Prion diseases are a group of fatal transmissible neurological conditions caused by the change in conformation of intrinsic cellular prion protein (PrP^C).

FRET from upconversion nanoparticles to dyes using 980 nm and 808 nm excitation.

Electrochemical SERS allows for the rapid detection of both THC and THC-COOH in bodily fluid matrices without interferences from matrix species, paving the way to a point-of-need tool for cannabinoid detection.

Colloidal gold nanostars for rapid and in-solution SERS measurements of methimazole in urine using a handheld Raman spectrometer.

SERS was developed for intercellular and intracellular analyses. Using a series of cell wall mutants in C. jejuni we show cell wall versus cytoplasm differences.

A paper-based microfluidics self-testing device capable of colorimetric and SERS-based sensing of cardiovascular disease associated miR-29a has been developed for improving patient care and triage.

Two types of lateral flow immunochromatographic test strips (LFITS) using gold nanoparticles and fluorescent CdTe quantum dots (QDs) as signal labels, respectively, were developed for Shiga toxin type II (STX2) assays.

SERS with gold nanoparticle aggregates detects synthetic drugs of abuse contained in herbal highs.

In this work, we demonstrate the potential use of SPRi for secretion-monitoring of pancreatic islets, small micro-organs that regulate glucose homeostasis in the body.

Ratiometric fluorescent nanosensors were developed to detect mercury ions (Hg²⁺) using enhanced dual emissions from glutathione stabilized gold nanoclusters/indium-based metal–organic frameworks modified with cysteine (AuNCs/MIL-68(In)-NH₂/Cys).

A dispersive micro solid-phase extraction (DMSPE) technique was developed using manganese-oxide nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon (Mn₃O₄-NPs-AC) as an effective sorbent combined with ultrasound for the extraction and determination of a trace amount of thymol and carvacrol in methanolic extracts of Thymus daenensis, Salvia officinalis, Stachys pilifera, Satureja khuzistanica and mentha, and water samples.

A highly hydrophilic aptamer-modified POSS-containing hybrid affinity monolith is presented for efficient on-column discrimination with low non-specific adsorption.

Fully inkjet-printed and low-cost microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) demonstrate the simple naked-eye colorimetric determination of calcium ions in drinking and tap water samples.

A novel wavelength selection method named ICPA-mRMR coupled SERS was employed for the detection of CPS residues in tea samples.

Detection and characterization of microorganisms is essential for both clinical diagnostics and environmental studies.

The effects of exposure to low concentrations of AgNPs in model tissue, are the result of the interplay between size, shape and dissolution of ions from NPs.

A conjugated carbon-dot–tyrosinase bioprobe was first designed and applied for sensitive and selective dopamine detection in human serum.

Based on a “signal-on” sensing strategy and a three-stage cascade signal amplification method, an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical biosensor has been developed for DNA detection.

AFM-PTIR is utilized to analyze atmospherically relevant multicomponent substrate deposited aerosol particles.

A versatile dual-functional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate has been fabricated for the on-site detection of pesticide residues both on the surface and in solution with minimum or no sample pretreatment.

We report the electrochemical sensing of Hg²⁺ based on tannic acid capped gold nanoparticle (AuNP@TA) complexes.

A self-assembled and flexible nanosensor was developed for ultrasensitive detection of explosives from latent fingerprints.

The addition of Cu²⁺ to a CD solution quenches the fluorescence emission of CDs while on the addition of TrxR, 2-mercaptopropanoic acid released from the surface of the CDs and emission from CDs was regained.

An aptamer based SERS sensor was developed to detect picomolar concentrated ochratoxin solutions using an OPLS model.

A novel ratiometric electrochemical biosensor was developed for the combined determination of copper ion and β-amyloid peptide.

A new ionic liquid-magnetic graphene composite was synthesized by a time-saving one-pot strategy for the extraction of triazine herbicides from surface water.