New Developments in Fluorescent Biosensors
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biophysics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 27
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The intake of toxic contaminants and the fluctuation of physiological metabolites are long-standing public health issues. For instance, excessive copper exposure can lead to severe neurological conditions and organ damage, while aberrant levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are linked to tissue inflammation and pathological stress. Traditional detection methods, such as mass spectrometry, are often limited by high costs and lengthy processing times. Consequently, there is an urgent scientific need for "green" fluorescent sensors that offer rapid response times, high selectivity, and low toxicity.
This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest developments in carbon-based luminescent materials. Recent research has demonstrated that utilizing green precursors like lactose and surface passivators such as Tris can yield C-dots with significant quantum yields and robust stability across wide pH ranges. These materials are proving to be versatile platforms—acting as "turn-off" probes for specific metal ions through coordination interactions or tracking enzymatic reactions to monitor glucose levels in real-time. We aim to collect a series of high-quality articles that address current challenges in sensor sensitivity, purification efficiency, and field-readiness for environmental and clinical applications.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Green Synthesis Strategies: Innovative hydrothermal and bottom-up methods using sustainable precursors.
- Surface Engineering: Mechanisms of surface passivation and heteroatom doping to enhance quantum yield and stability.
- Environmental Sensing: Highly selective detection of heavy metals (e.g., Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺) in natural water systems.
- Biomedical Applications: Real-time monitoring of metabolites, ROS, and intracellular imaging.
- Quenching Mechanisms: Fundamental studies on static, dynamic, and distance-dependent fluorescence quenching.
- Nanomaterial Characterization: Advanced structural and optical analysis including XPS, TEM, and XRD of C-dot complexes.
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Chao-Sheng Chen (ORCID 0000-0001-8687-9519) for his significant contributions in co-editing this Special Issue. His extensive expertise in the structural analysis of synthesized C-dots and the development of detection based on C-dots has been instrumental in shaping the scientific scope of this collection.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Chin-Feng Wan
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- carbon-based luminescent materials
- green fluorescent sensors
- C-dots
- environmental sensing
- biomedical applications
- green synthesis strategies
- fluorescence quenching
- heavy metal detection
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