Biomolecule-gated mesoporous materials with electrochemically triggered optical response for the sensitive, simple and rapid determination of trace contaminants in the turbid and complex matrix milk

• Applicant: Dr. Estela Climent Terol
• Subject Area: Analytical Chemistry ; Biomaterials
• Term: from 2018 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 413212321

• Final Report Year: 2022

Final Report Abstract

The project has provided several materials for the detection of antibiotics and mycotoxins in milk via ECL detection in a simple assay format using a test strip and a smartphone. The materials have been incorporated in various membranes to provide such a rapid test for on-site detection of these contaminants in a turbid matrix such as milk with LODs in the ppt range. Compared with fluorescence, the non-optical excitation has significantly reduced the background signal, and with the help of a portable potentiostat in combination with a home-made 3D-printed case fitted onto a smartphone, the sensitivity of the sensing system has been improved tremendously, from the lower ppb range (fluorescence) to the lower ppt range (ECL). With this study, the applicability of ECL detection on paper strips in combination with gated indicator-releasing materials has been demonstrated for the first time, presenting a novel synergistic match, and obtaining a robust and very promising approach for future test strip analyses at ultra-trace level, suitable for many diverse point-of-need applications.

Publications

• Multifunctional Polystyrene Core/Silica Shell Microparticles with Antifouling Properties for Bead-Based Multiplexed and Quantitative Analysis. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 11(1), 1321-1334.
  Sarma, Dominik; Carl, Peter; Climent, Estela; Schneider, Rudolf J. & Rurack, Knut
  
• Development of a lateral flow test for rapid pyrethroid detection using antibody-gated indicator-releasing hybrid materials. The Analyst, 145(10), 3490-3494.
  Costa, Elena; Climent, Estela; Ast, Sandra; Weller, Michael G.; Canning, John & Rurack, Knut
  
• Dip Sticks Embedding Molecular Beacon-Functionalized Core–Mesoporous Shell Particles for the Rapid On-Site Detection of Microbiological Fuel Contamination. ACS Sensors, 6(1), 27-34.
  Climent, Estela; Gotor, Raúl; Tobias, Charlie; Bell, Jérémy; Martin-Sanchez, Pedro M. & Rurack, Knut
  
• Optimization of analytical assay performance of antibody-gated indicator-releasing mesoporous silica particles. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 8(22), 4950-4961.
  Costa, Elena; Climent, Estela; Gawlitza, Kornelia; Wan, Wei; Weller, Michael G. & Rurack, Knut
  
• Polystyrene Microparticles with Convergently Grown Mesoporous Silica Shells as a Promising Tool for Multiplexed Bioanalytical Assays. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13(1), 207-218.
  Tobias, Charlie; Climent, Estela; Gawlitza, Kornelia & Rurack, Knut
  
• Combining Electrochemiluminescence Detection with Aptamer‐Gated Indicator Releasing Mesoporous Nanoparticles Enables ppt Sensitivity for Strip‐Based Rapid Tests. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 60(50), 26287-26297.
  Climent, Estela & Rurack, Knut
  
• Immunochemical Design of Antibody-Gated Indicator Delivery (gAID) Systems Based on Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 5(1), 626-641.
  Climent, Estela; Weller, Michael G.; Martínez-Máñez, Ramón & Rurack, Knut
  
• Loading and Release of Charged and Neutral Fluorescent Dyes into and from Mesoporous Materials: A Key Role for Sensing Applications. Micromachines, 12(3), 249.
  Climent, Estela; Hecht, Mandy & Rurack, Knut
  
• Label-free optical detection in capture zones immobilized on strips for lateral flow assays, Indian patent IP391347 (issued 07.03.2022), Korean patent KR10-2413619 (issued 22.06.2022)
  E. Climent, K. Rurack, W. Wan
  
• Multiplexed Detection of Human Papillomavirus Based on AzaBODIPY-Doped Silica-Coated Polystyrene Microparticles. Chemosensors, 11(1), 1.
  Kubheka, Gugu; Climent, Estela; Tobias, Charlie; Rurack, Knut; Mack, John & Nyokong, Tebello
  
• Particles Consisting of an Organic Polymer Core, a First Inorganic Oxide Shell Incorporating a Magnetic Material and a Mesoporous Second Inorganic Shell, German patent DE102020132495.2 (issued 12.05.2022)
  C. Tobias, E. Climent, K. Rurack
  
• Toward Label‐Free Optical Multiplexing of Analytes in Indicator Release Lateral Flow Assays via Detection Zones Containing Tailored Capture Materials. Analysis & Sensing, 2(4).
  Climent, Estela; Wan, Wei & Rurack, Knut