TABLE 1.

Comparison of the various supramolecular architectures used for fluorescence-based pesticide detection and the notable advantages/disadvantages of each method.

Supramolecular scaffold	Range of LODs	Significant advantages	Notable drawbacks
Polymers	1.3E-6 µM137–100 µM126	Conjugated fluorescent polymers have extremely high sensitivity; MIPs have high selectivity	Synthetic procedures can be cumbersome; organometallic polymers can be toxic and/or have toxic degradation products
Macrocycles	1E-6 µM211–1,040 µM297	Ability to rationally design components of the macrocycle to achieve target application	Synthetic procedures are nearly always cumbersome; can have poorly defined cavity for analyte binding
Nanomaterials	1.14E-7 µM367–12.2 µM350	High sensitivity, selectivity, and stability in a broad range of environments	Toxicity of the metal components can be of concern; as can the degradation and disposal of such materials
Metal-organic frameworks	5.2E-6 µM413–2.6 µM420	Easy and highly modular synthesis; large cavities able to bind multiple pesticide analytes	Limited stability in aqueous media; limited options for post-synthetic modifications