The wavelength-ratiometric techniques demonstrate strong advantages in fluorescence sensing and imaging over techniques employing variations of intensity at single wavelength. We present different possibilities for realization of these advantages in different simplified, miniaturized and multiplexing devices. They include the smartphone-based detection systems and strips, in which the color changes are observed with naked eye. The array-based techniques and different immunoassays withλ-ratiometric detection demonstrate strongly increased stability and sensitivity. The application areas extend from on-site monitoring of environment and point-of-care diagnostics to testing in personal need. Selected examples of sensing different analytes in chemical and biological systems demonstrate multiple possibilities of coupling the analyte-sensor interaction with the generation ofλ-ratiometric output signal. Among them, simultaneous detection of several analytes and performing logical operations that can be useful in analysis. Finally, the benefits of multicolor ratiometric fluorescence imaging are demonstrated by visualization the functionally important parameters of biological membranes.
Keywords: dual fluorescence; fluorescence sensing; monitoring of environment; paperbased analysis; point-of-care diagnostics; smartphone detection; λ-ratiometric imaging.
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