Nanoparticle-Based (Bio)Sensors for Biomedical and Environmental Monitoring

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D:Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 272

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Chemistry Department, Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: analytical chemistry; electroanalysis; electrochemical biosensors; nanobiosensors
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Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye
Interests: analytical chemistry; electrochemical biosensor; nanobiosensors; electrochemical diagnostic kits

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoparticles have emerged as powerful tools in sensor technology, offering enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and rapid response times. Their unique physicochemical properties, including high surface area-to-volume ratios and tunable optical, electrical, and chemical characteristics, make them ideal candidates for applications in both biomedical and environmental monitoring.

Nanoparticle-based (Bio)sensors operate by exploiting the unique interactions between nanoparticles and target analytes. These interactions can lead to measurable changes in optical (e.g., fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance), electrical (e.g., conductivity, impedance), or chemical properties.

Nanoparticle-based (bio)sensors include, metallic nanoparticle sensors, quantum dot (QD) sensors, carbon-based nanoparticle sensors, and magnetic nanoparticle sensors.

Their applications in Biomedical Monitoring include the following:

  • Disease Diagnosis: Early detection of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders through biomarker sensing;
  • Point-of-Care Testing: Portable diagnostic tools/kits for rapid disease detection in remote locations;
  • Drug Monitoring: Real-time tracking of therapeutic drug levels in patients.

Their applications in Environmental Monitoring include the following:

  • Heavy Metal Detection: Monitoring lead, mercury, and arsenic levels in water bodies;
  • Air Quality Sensing: Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and greenhouse gases;
  • Pathogen Detection: Identification of bacterial and viral contaminants in water and food sources.

Despite their advantages, nanoparticle-based (bio)sensors face challenges such as stability, reproducibility, and potential toxicity. Future advancements will likely focus on improving biocompatibility, miniaturization for portable devices, and integration not only with mobile phones but also with artificial intelligence for real-time data analysis.

Nanoparticle-based (bio)sensors hold great promise for advancing biomedical diagnostics and environmental safety. Their continued development will enhance the precision, efficiency, and accessibility of monitoring systems, contributing to improved health and sustainability outcomes.

Prof. Dr. Stella Girousi
Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Dilsat Ozkan-Ariksoysal
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • nanoparticles
  • electrode modification
  • sensors
  • biomedical monitoring
  • environmental monitoring

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 7121 KiB  
Article
UV–Vis Detection of Thioacetamide: Balancing the Performances of a Mn(III)-Porphyrin, Gold Colloid, and Their Complex for Selecting the Most Sensitive Material
by Camelia Epuran, Ion Fratilescu, Ionela Fringu, Anca Lascu, Liliana Halip, Mihaela Gherban and Eugenia Fagadar-Cosma
Micromachines 2025, 16(5), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16050574 - 14 May 2025
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Abstract
The optical detection of thioacetamide was investigated using a metalated porphyrin, Mn(III)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin chloride (Mn-3,4-diMeOPP), a gold colloid solution (AuNPs), and a complex formed between them (Mn-3,4-diMeOPP–AuNPs) in order to select the most sensitive material and to achieve complementarity between methods. Mn-3,4-diMeOPP, AuNPs, and [...] Read more.
The optical detection of thioacetamide was investigated using a metalated porphyrin, Mn(III)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin chloride (Mn-3,4-diMeOPP), a gold colloid solution (AuNPs), and a complex formed between them (Mn-3,4-diMeOPP–AuNPs) in order to select the most sensitive material and to achieve complementarity between methods. Mn-3,4-diMeOPP, AuNPs, and their complex were synthesized and characterized by means of UV–Vis, FT-IR spectrometry, and AFM investigations. It could be concluded that Mn-3,4-diMeOPP could detect/quantify thioacetamide (TAA) in the range 3.13 × 10−8 M–7.67 × 10−7 M in a linear fashion, with a 99.85% confidence coefficient. The gold colloidal particles alone could detect TAA in an extremely narrow concentration domain of 2–9.8 × 10−7 M, slightly complementary with that of Mn-3,4-diMeOPP. The complex between Mn-3,4-diMeOPP and gold colloid proved to be able to quantify TAA in the trace domain with concentrations of 1.99 × 10−8 M–1.76 × 10−7 M in a polynomial fashion, with the method being more difficult. A potential mechanism for TAA detection based on Mn-3,4-diMeOPP is discussed based on computational modeling. The distorted porphyrin conformation and its electronic configuration favor the generation of a grid of electrostatic interactions between porphyrin and TAA. Full article
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