Inorganic–Organic Hybrid Tongue-Mimic for Time-Resolved Luminescent Noninvasive Pattern and Chiral Recognition of Thiols in Biofluids toward Healthcare Monitoring

In this work, manganese(II)-doped zinc/germanium oxide nanoparticles (Mn@ZGNPs) have been hydrothermally synthesized to equip with appealing time-resolved luminescence (TRL). Interestingly, we reveal that they can be readily quenched ("turn off") via a facile surface coating with bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) polymerized from dopamine (DA), resulting from PDA-triggered TRL resonance energy transfer (TRL-RET). By integrated with the thiol-induced inhibition of PDA formation, an ingenious inorganic-organic hybrid tongue-mimic sensor array is thus unveiled for noninvasive pattern recognition of thiols in biofluids in a TRL-RET-reversed "turn on" format toward healthcare monitoring. The sensing principle is based on the new finding that there are differential inhibitions from thiols against the polymerization of DA with various concentrations. Furthermore, density function theory (DFT) studies excellently prove our sensing principle and experimental results, reinforcing the power of the presented system. More importantly, chiral recognition of varied concentrations and mixtures of cysteine enantiomers using our platform are also been demonstrated, promising its practical usage. This is a novel concept of inorganic-organic hybrid-based pattern and chiral recognition platform for TRL background-free sensing and would sprout more novel relevant strategies toward broader applications.