Ratiometric detection of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids using dual fluorescent nanoparticles and a miniaturised microfluidic platform

Yijuan Sun, Víctor Pérez-Padilla, Virginia Valderrey, Jérémy Bell, Kornelia Gawlitza and Knut Rurack ()
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Yijuan Sun: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Víctor Pérez-Padilla: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Virginia Valderrey: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Jérémy Bell: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Kornelia Gawlitza: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Knut Rurack: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract The widespread contamination of soil and water with perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has caused considerable societal and scientific concern. Legislative measures and an increased need for remediation require effective on-site analytical methods for PFAS management. Here we report on the development of a green-fluorescent guanidine-BODIPY indicator monomer incorporated into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the selective detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Complexation of PFOA by the indicator, which is mediated by concerted protonation-induced ion pairing-assisted hydrogen bonding, significantly enhances fluorescence in polar organic solvents. The MIP forms as a thin layer on silica nanoparticles doped with tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride, which provides an orange emission signal as internal reference, resulting in low measurement uncertainties. Using a liquid-liquid extraction protocol, this assay enables the direct detection of PFOA in environmental water samples and achieves a detection limit of 0.11 µM. Integration into an opto-microfluidic system enables a compact and user-friendly system for detecting PFOA in less than 15 minutes.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66872-9

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