Chromatic covalent organic frameworks enabling in-vivo chemical tomography
Covalent organic frameworks designed as chromatic sensors offer opportunities to probe biological interfaces, particularly when combined with biocompatible matrices. Particularly compelling is the prospect of chemical tomography - or the 3D spatial mapping of chemical detail within the complex environment of living systems. Herein, we demonstrate a chromic Covalent Organic Framework (COF) integrated within silk fibroin (SF) microneedles that probe plant vasculature, sense the alkalization of vascular fluid as a biomarker for drought stress, and provide a 3D in-vivo mapping of chemical gradients using smartphone technology. A series of Schiff base COFs with tunable pKa ranging from 5.6 to 7.6 enable conical, optically transparent SF microneedles with COF coatings of 120 to 950 nm to probe vascular fluid and the surrounding tissues of tobacco and tomato plants. The conical design allows for 3D mapping of the chemical environment (such as pH) at standoff distances from the plant, enabling in-vivo chemical tomography. Chromatic COF sensors of this type will enable multidimensional chemical mapping of previously inaccessible and complex environments.
Authors
- Gajendra Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8561-1385)
- Mervin Chun‐Yi Ang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4420-9637)
- Jolly M. Saju
- Benedetto Marelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5311-6961)
- Yunteng Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6425-7628)
- Duc Thinh Khong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7001-385X)
- Michael S. Strano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2944-808X)
- Suh In Loh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2918-7901)
- Gabriel Sánchez-Velázquez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5090-3695)
- Vaishnavi Amarr Reddy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0553-272X)
- Raju Cheerlavancha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1854-0406)
- Song Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6524-9881)
- J. Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4940-2946)
- Daisuke Urano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4541-1076)
- Rajani Sarojam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7207-2295)
- Yangyang Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9869-4538)
Institutions
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (SG)
- IIT@MIT (US)
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SG)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-10-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53532-7
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Covalent Organic Framework Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.17
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Research Foundation