Abstract
Molecular imprinting is earning worldwide attention from researchers in the field of sensing and diagnostic applications, due to its properties of inevitable specific affinity for the template molecule. The fabrication of complementary template imprints allows this technique to achieve high selectivity for the analyte to be sensed. Sensors incorporating this technique along with surface plasmon or localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR/LSPR) provide highly sensitive real time detection with quick response times. Unfolding these techniques with optical fiber provide the additional advantages of miniaturized probes with ease of handling, online monitoring and remote sensing. In this review a summary of optical fiber sensors using the combined approaches of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and the SPR/LSPR technique is discussed. An overview of the fundamentals of SPR/LSPR implementation on optical fiber is provided. The review also covers the molecular imprinting technology (MIT) with its elementary study, synthesis procedures and its applications for chemical and biological anlayte detection with different sensing methods. In conclusion, we explore the advantages, challenges and the future perspectives of developing highly sensitive and selective methods for the detection of analytes utilizing MIT with the SPR/LSPR phenomenon on optical fiber platforms.
Highlights
During the last three decades, a tremendous amount of work has been carried out on fiber optic sensors (FOS) for applications in energy, the environment, biomedicine, agriculture, the food industry, buildings and many others due to their unique abilities of supporting biocompatibility, remote sensing and online monitoring with the possibility of miniaturized probes for point of care possibilities [1,2].The main advantages of using optical fiber for sensing are ease of handling, low weight, low cost, immunity to electromagnetic interference, low power operation, withstanding harsh environment, etc
The role of fiber can be either intrinsic or extrinsic, depending on whether the optical fiber is involved in the sensing purpose or not
In this review we have summarized the combined approaches of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR)/localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon with molecular imprinting in fiber optic configuration
Summary
During the last three decades, a tremendous amount of work has been carried out on fiber optic sensors (FOS) for applications in energy, the environment, biomedicine, agriculture, the food industry, buildings and many others due to their unique abilities of supporting biocompatibility, remote sensing and online monitoring with the possibility of miniaturized probes for point of care possibilities [1,2].The main advantages of using optical fiber for sensing are ease of handling, low weight, low cost, immunity to electromagnetic interference, low power operation, withstanding harsh environment, etc. During the last three decades, a tremendous amount of work has been carried out on fiber optic sensors (FOS) for applications in energy, the environment, biomedicine, agriculture, the food industry, buildings and many others due to their unique abilities of supporting biocompatibility, remote sensing and online monitoring with the possibility of miniaturized probes for point of care possibilities [1,2]. The role of fiber can be either intrinsic or extrinsic, depending on whether the optical fiber is involved in the sensing purpose or not. In the case of extrinsic sensors, the fiber is used to guide/carry light from a source to the sensor module whereas in the case of intrinsic sensors, the light guiding properties of the optical fiber are modulated by the sensing medium. For sensing various kinds of spectroscopic techniques/methods such as absorptiometry, refractometry, reflectometry, total internal reflection, Sensors 2016, 16, 1381; doi:10.3390/s16091381 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
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