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Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2026 | Viewed by 7159

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. He Wei

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California State University Fresno, 2555 E San Ramon Avenue, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
Interests: MRI computation and analysis; disease biomarkers; materials innovation for MRI technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Shuo Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
Interests: multi-sensor data fusion; machine learning; control systems and robotics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Magnetic and fluorescent nanomaterials represent transformative tools used in sensing technologies, enabling unprecedented sensitivity, selectivity, and versatility across various applications. This Special Issue, titled Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application, invites cutting-edge research on the synthesis, characterization, and integration of these nanomaterials into advanced sensing systems. Key topics include innovative fabrication methods, surface modification strategies, hybrid sensor designs, and real-world applications spanning healthcare, environmental monitoring, and industrial diagnostics. By highlighting multidisciplinary approaches that bring together chemistry, material science, and engineering, this Special Issue will inspire new avenues of exploration and collaboration, advancing the field toward scalable, real-time, and ultra-sensitive sensors with broad applicability.

Keywords: magnetic nanomaterials; fluorescent nanomaterials; nanotechnology-based sensors; bio-sensing; environmental sensing; functional surface modification; real-time monitoring; sensing applications

Justification: This Special Issue aligns with the Sensors journal’s mission by showcasing developments in nanomaterial-based sensors. It emphasizes interdisciplinary advances in sensor design and applications that drive progress in monitoring and diagnostics across diverse fields.

Dr. He Wei
Guest Editor

Dr. Shuo Wu
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

magnetic nanomaterials
fluorescent nanomaterials
nanotechnology-based sensors
bio-sensing
environmental sensing
functional surface modification
real-time monitoring
sensing applications

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1977 KB

Open AccessArticle

Fe-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots with Magneto-Fluorescent Dual Modality for Fluorescence and Magnetic Resonance Readouts

by Xianzhi Chub, Hamzah Kiran, Bableen Kaur, Mohammad Khalid Mahmoud, Taleen Alkhayyat, Avery Ramirez, Alexis Kim, Yunfei Zhang, Shuo Wu, Matthew Yacoboski and He Wei

Sensors 2026, 26(8), 2310; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26082310 - 9 Apr 2026

Viewed by 682

Abstract

Magneto-fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) promise compact, dual-readout nanomaterials; however, achieving pronounced photoluminescence alongside magnetic functionality in a simple, scalable formulation remains difficult, especially for emerging doped CQDs. Here, we report Fe-doped carbon quantum dots (Fe-CQDs) as an emerging quantum-dot platform that integrates fluorescence with magnetic-resonance (MR) relaxometry within a single ultrasmall, carbonaceous nanostructure. To enable this, Fe-CQDs are prepared through a straightforward two-step, low-temperature route that uses a magnetic deep eutectic solvent precursor followed by mild carbonization in air at atmospheric pressure. Under UV excitation, the Fe-CQDs display bright blue emission centered at 439 nm, and their optical behavior is characterized by UV-Vis absorption, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. Meanwhile, dynamic light scattering indicates a narrowly distributed nanoscale hydrodynamic diameter, and X-ray diffraction together with FT-IR supports a carbonaceous framework enriched with oxygenated surface functionalities, consistent with aqueous dispersibility and environmentally responsive photophysics in water, while XPS supports Fe incorporation in an Fe(III)-dominated chemical environment. Importantly, Fe incorporation enables intrinsic MR relaxometric readout, establishing an intrinsic fluorescence/MR dual modality. As a proof-of-concept, Fe-CQDs were tested with a representative per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), showing parallel fluorescence and MR response trends at ppm levels in natural water matrices from Millerton Lake with Stern–Volmer analysis and a NaCl-based ionic strength control. Overall, these results position Fe-CQDs as a versatile magneto-fluorescent nanomaterial for dual-readout screening workflows and motivate future surface engineering and dopant tuning to improve selectivity and expand toward multi-modal readouts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application)

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15 pages, 1579 KB

Open AccessArticle

Fluorescence Analysis of Local Microenvironments in Polymer Films Using Solvatochromic Dyes

by Tomoharu Matsushita, Takuya Tanaka, Yuki Sawatari and Gen-ichi Konishi

Sensors 2026, 26(4), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26041346 - 20 Feb 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 849

Abstract

Polymer films and polymer blend films are widely used as functional materials; however, their photophysical behavior cannot be fully explained solely by bulk properties such as relative permittivity or glass transition temperature. In this study, we investigate how local polymer microenvironments regulate fluorescence responses by employing two strongly emissive solvatochromic dyes—FπPCM, a D–π–A-type π-conjugation-extended fluorene dye, and PK, a D–π–A-type pyrene dye—as molecular probes. The photophysical properties of these dyes were systematically examined in a series of transparent polymer matrices, including polystyrene, polycarbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl chloride), triacetylcellulose, poly(butyl methacrylate), and poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline). Polymer films containing the dyes were prepared by solution casting from homogeneous polymer–dye solutions onto quartz substrates followed by solvent evaporation. Both dyes exhibited polymer-dependent variations in fluorescence wavelength, quantum yield, and lifetime, reflecting not only differences in polymer polarity but also local chain packing and specific dye–polymer interactions. Fluorescence lifetime analysis of PS/POz blend films revealed microscopic heterogeneity even in miscible systems, quantitatively captured using averaged lifetime parameters. Temperature-dependent fluorescence measurements further demonstrated that thermal history and structural relaxation significantly influence local polymer environments. In particular, ratiometric fluorescence analysis of PMMA/PBMA blend films enabled reproducible temperature sensing over a wide range from 30 to 120 °C, despite an overall negative temperature response. These results establish solvatochromic dyes as versatile optical probes for evaluating local polymer microenvironments and highlight their potential for polymer-state monitoring and fluorescence-based temperature-sensing applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application)

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17 pages, 2470 KB

Open AccessArticle

Impedance Analysis of a Two-Layer Air-Core Coil for AC Magnetometry Applications

by Mateusz Midura, Grzegorz Domański, Damian Wanta, Przemysław Wróblewski, Waldemar T. Smolik, Kamil Lipiński, Michał Wieteska and Piotr Bogorodzki

Sensors 2025, 25(17), 5339; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25175339 - 28 Aug 2025

Viewed by 1253

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the impedance characteristics of the transmitting coil used in a system for AC magnetometry and the measurement of the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of magnetic nanoparticles. A theoretical relationship for the current distribution in a multilayer air-core coil was derived. The formulas for the coil’s stray capacitance were modified to account for additional spacing between layers, introduced to reduce the interlayer capacitance. The developed theory was applied to a two-layer air-core coil with an additional gap between the layers. The frequency dependence of the coil impedance was measured. The measurements confirmed an extension of the useful operating frequency range of the constructed coil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application)

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15 pages, 6660 KB

Open AccessArticle

Signal Enhancement in Magnetoelastic Ribbons Through Thermal Annealing: Evaluation of Magnetic Signal Output in Different Metglas Materials

by Georgios Samourgkanidis, Dimitris Kouzoudis, Panagiotis Charalampous and Eyad Adnan

Sensors 2025, 25(12), 3722; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25123722 - 13 Jun 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1381

Abstract

This study explores the impact of thermal annealing on the magnetic signal enhancement of three distinct Metglas ribbon materials: 2826MB3, 2605SA1, and 2714A. Each material underwent a systematic annealing process under a range of temperatures (50–

500 °

C) and durations (10–60 [...] Read more.

500 °

C) and durations (10–60 min) to evaluate the influence of thermal treatment on their magnetic signal response. The experimental setup applied a constant excitation frequency of 20 kHz, allowing for direct comparison under identical measurement conditions. The results show that while all three alloys benefit from annealing, their responses differ in magnitude, stability, and sensitivity. The 2826MB3 and 2605SA1 ribbons exhibited similar enhancement patterns, with maximum normalized voltage increases of 75.8% and approximately 70%, respectively. However, 2605SA1 displayed a more abrupt signal drop at elevated temperatures, suggesting reduced thermal stability. In contrast, 2714A reached the highest enhancement at 86.8% but also demonstrated extreme sensitivity to over-annealing, losing its magnetic response rapidly at higher temperatures. The findings highlight the critical role of carefully optimized annealing parameters in maximizing sensor performance and offer practical guidance for the development of advanced magnetoelastic sensing systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application)

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Review

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31 pages, 1319 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Fluorescent Probes for Monitoring Toxic Elements from the Nuclear Industry: A Review

by Clovis Poulin-Ponnelle, Denis Boudreau and Dominic Larivière

Sensors 2025, 25(18), 5835; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25185835 - 18 Sep 2025

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2286

Abstract

With nuclear power playing an increasing role in efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the development of effective and sensitive monitoring tools for (radio)toxic elements in the environment has become essential. This review highlights recent advances in fluorescent probes developed for the detection of key elements associated with the nuclear industry, including uranium, cesium, strontium, technetium, zirconium, and beryllium. Various sensor platforms, ranging from organic ligands and DNAzymes to metal–organic frameworks and quantum dots, offer promising features, such as high sensitivity, selectivity, and suitability for environmental matrices. Several recent designs now achieve detection limits in the nanomolar to picomolar range, revealing new perspectives for environmental and biological applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Magnetic and Fluorescent Nanomaterial Sensors: Design, Development, and Application)

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