Perylene diimide-based indicator displacement assays

The design of indicator displacement assays (IDAs) relies on displacement of a prebound chromogenic analyte by a competing analyte. The IDA concept has outgrown its domain to include a metal complex for the detection of the target analyte. Perylene diimide (PDI) possesses excellent photophysical, electronic and self-assembly properties; chemical and photostability; and biocompatibility for integration in the IDAs. In this review, we discussed PDI-based IDAs for the detection of chemical and biological species such as thiols, (bio)genic amines, polyphosphates, enzymes, proteins, DNA/RNA, mycotoxins, metal ions, anions and several other miscellaneous analytes. In this review, examples of PDI-based IDAs have been discussed with focus on design, optical properties, applications and sensing mechanisms. This review will inspire the researchers to contribute and provide a basis to facilitate further research on PDI-based IDAs in the future.