Identification of bacteria by a fluorescence sensor array based on three kinds of receptors functionalized carbon dots

The identification of bacteria is a crucial issue in the field of medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring and food safety. Conventional methods need long culturing times, highly skilled operators, or recognition elements specific to each kind of the bacteria. Alternatively, sensor arrays offer a cost-effective and simple approach using multiple cross-reactive receptors. Here, a facilely constructed fluorescence sensing array was developed for the identification of various bacteria. The sensor array consists of three facile synthesized carbon dots functionalized with different receptors (boronic acid, polymixin and vancomycin), which could bind to all the bacteria with different affinity instead of a specific one. A unique molecular fingerprint of each kind of bacteria was obtain from the fluorescence response pattern generated from three kinds of carbon dots. By using linear discrimination analysis (LDA) of the response pattern, the effective discrimination of six bacteria studied was demonstrated. The proposed sensor array approach may pave the way for the development of simple, rapid and effective identification of multiplex bioactive samples.