Recent advances in semiconducting polymer dots as optical probes for biosensing

Optical probes that specifically and sensitively change the optical properties upon contact with targets have become irreplaceable tools in fundamental biology and medicine. Semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) have emerged as popular optical nanoplatforms because of their excellent characteristics, such as tunable luminescence, high brightness, superior stability and biocompatibility, for biological applications. In particular, facile surface and intra-particle modifications enable Pdots to detect various biological parameters, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), typical metal ions, pH values, temperature and a variety of biomolecules. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the preparation and bio-functionalization strategies of Pdots. This review focuses on the applications of Pdots as optical probes in biosensors and describes the challenges in this field.