Dengue viral infection is one of the most common deadliest diseases and has become a recurrent issue for public health in tropical countries. Although the spectrum of clinical diagnosis and treatment have recently been established, the efficient and rapid detection of dengue virus (DENV) during viremia and the early febrile phase is still a great challenge. In this study, a dithiobis (succinimidyl undecanoate, DSU)/amine-functionalized reduced graphene oxide-–polyamidoamine dendrimer (DSU/amine-functionalized rGO–PAMAM) thin film-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor was developed for the detection of DENV 2 E-proteins. Different concentrations of DENV 2 E-proteins were successfully tested by the developed SPR sensor-based system. The performance of the developed sensor showed increased shift in the SPR angle, narrow full-width–half-maximum of the SPR curve, high detection accuracy, excellent figure of merit and signal-to-noise ratio, good sensitivity values in the range of 0.08–0.5 pM (S = 0.2576°/pM, R2 = 0.92), and a high equilibrium association constant (KA) of 7.6452 TM−1. The developed sensor also showed a sensitive and selective response towards DENV 2 E-proteins compared to DENV 1 E-proteins and ZIKV (Zika virus) E-proteins. Overall, it was concluded that the Au/DSU/amine-functionalized rGO–PAMAM thin film-based SPR sensor has potential to serve as a rapid clinical diagnostic tool for DENV infection.

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In this study, synthesis and characterization of chitosan/maghemite (Cs/Fe2O3) composites thin film has been described. Its properties were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). FTIR confirmed the existence of Fe–O bond, C–N bond, C–C bond, C–O bond, O=C=O bond and O–H bond in Cs/Fe2O3 thin film. The surface morphology of the thin film indicated the relatively smooth and homogenous thin film, and also confirmed the interaction of Fe2O3 with the chitosan. Next, the UV-Vis result showed high absorbance value with an optical band gap of 4.013 eV. The incorporation of this Cs/Fe2O3 thin film with an optical-based method, i.e., surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy showed positive response where mercury ion (Hg2+) can be detected down to 0.01 ppm (49.9 nM). These results validate the potential of Cs/Fe2O3 thin film for optical sensing applications in Hg2+ detection.

Insecticides are enormously important to industry requirements and market demands in agriculture. Despite their usefulness, these insecticides can pose a dangerous risk to the safety of food, environment and all living things through various mechanisms of action. Concern about the environmental impact of repeated use of insecticides has prompted many researchers to develop rapid, economical, uncomplicated and user-friendly analytical method for the detection of insecticides. In this regards, optical sensors are considered as favorable methods for insecticides analysis because of their special features including rapid detection time, low cost, easy to use and high selectivity and sensitivity. In this review, current progresses of incorporation between recognition elements and optical sensors for insecticide detection are discussed and evaluated well, by categorizing it based on insecticide chemical classes, including the range of detection and limit of detection. Additionally, this review aims to provide powerful insights to researchers for the future development of optical sensors in the detection of insecticides.

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