Label-free and non-contact optical biosensing of glucose with quantum dots.
| Author | |
|---|---|
| Abstract | :  We present a label-free, optical sensor for biomedical applications based on changes in the visible photoluminescence (PL) of quantum dots in a thin polymer film. Using glucose as the target molecule, the screening of UV excitation due to pre-absorption by the product of an enzymatic assay leads to quenching of the PL of quantum dots (QDs) in a non-contact scheme. The irradiance changes in QD PL indicate quantitatively the level of glucose present. The non-contact nature of the assay prevents surface degradation of the QDs, which yields an efficient, waste-free, cost-effective, portable, and sustainable biosensor with attractive market features. The limit of detection of the demonstrated biosensor is ~3.5 µm, which is competitive with existing contact-based bioassays. In addition, the biosensor operates over the entire clinically relevant range of glucose concentrations of biological fluids including urine and whole blood. The comparable results achieved across a range of cost-affordable detectors, including a spectrophotometer, portable spectrometer, and iPhone camera, suggest that label-free and visible quantification of glucose with QD films can be applied to low-cost, point-of-care biomedical sensing as well as scientific applications in the laboratory for characterizing glucose or other analytes. | 
| Year of Publication | :  2015 | 
| Journal | :  Biosensors & bioelectronics | 
| Volume | :  64 | 
| Number of Pages | :  30-5 | 
| Date Published | :  2015 | 
| ISSN Number | :  0956-5663 | 
| URL | :  https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0956-5663(14)00623-X | 
| DOI | :  10.1016/j.bios.2014.08.035 | 
| Short Title | :  Biosens Bioelectron | 
| Download citation |