Strategies for Selective Chemical Sensing and Imaging with Polymeric Nanospheres

Wednesday, June 18th at 11 am
Department of Chemistry of ENS, Salle R
24, rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris

Xiaojiang Xie, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (more here)

The quantitative detection and imaging of specific chemical molecules or ions are of great significance in many fields, such as biomedicine and clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and food safety. Optical signal-based chemical sensors not only require high selectivity or specificity toward the target analyte but also need to overcome interference from background light originating from the sample itself or the environment.

Recently, utilizing the nanoprecipitation of amphiphilic block copolymers, we have developed a series of highly selective nanoprobes. These nanosensors can be interrogated in various modes without heavily relying on instrumentation. The high selectivity and stability of these sensors benefit from several factors, including the colloidal stability of the formed nanoparticles, the high selectivity of the active sensing components, and their resistance to optical background interference.