Advances in Fluorescent Sensors
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2025) | Viewed by 819
Special Issue Editors
Interests: organic synthesis; fluorophore design; voltage sensors; ion sensors; fluorescence sensors; fluorescence imaging
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fluorescent sensors have become indispensable tools in modern science due to their high sensitivity, real-time monitoring capabilities, and versatility across environmental, biomedical, and industrial applications. The pace of innovation in this field has been accelerating over the past decades with many important breakthroughs from sensor design to device fabrication. The structural diversity of fluorescence sensors has also been increasing. Small-molecule sensors enable the selective detection of ions and biomolecules through mechanisms like photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Advances in computational chemistry accelerate the design of sensor molecules with tailored binding pockets and emission profiles. Polymeric sensors, including molecularly imprinted polymers and nanostructured films, offer improved stability, reversibility, and multi-analyte detection for gases, toxins, and pharmaceuticals. Genetically encoded protein-based sensors allow for the spatiotemporal tracking of neurotransmitters and metabolites in living cells with minimal invasiveness, which makes them indispensable in bioimaging. Directed evolution and automated high-throughput screening techniques have optimized fluorescent protein scaffolds for enhanced brightness and photostability. Innovative materials, like metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), have revolutionized gas sensing by combining tunable porosity with fluorescence quenching mechanisms, achieving ultra-low detection limits. Fluorescence sensing films, integrated with quantum dots or hydrogel matrices, provide portable, on-chip solutions for detecting explosives, drugs, and environmental hazards. These innovations, driven by interdisciplinary approaches, underscore the critical role of fluorescent sensors in advancing diagnostics, bioimaging, environmental monitoring, and chemical threat mitigation.
Dr. Levente Cseri
Dr. Ervin Kovács
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- fluorescence probe
- fluorescent nanomaterials
- analyte recognition
- fluorescence imaging
- real-time monitoring
- photoinduced electron transfer
- Förster resonance energy transfer
- genetically encoded indicators
- sensor devices
- fluorescence microscopy
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