Luminescent molecularly-imprinted polymer nanocomposites for sensitive detection

•Luminescent molecularly-imprinted polymer nanocomposites (MIP-NCs).•MIP-NCs are nanomaterials for molecular recognition and detection.•We summarize preparation methods and recent advancements in MIP-NCs.•We discuss the challenges of future applications of MIP-NCs.

Molecularly-imprinted polymer nanocomposites (MIP-NCs) have been widely employed to produce stable, robust and cheap materials with specific binding sites for recognition of target molecules such as proteins, drugs, pesticides and explosives. MIP-NCs with luminescent properties possess intrinsic capability as signal transducers with excellent molecular recognition properties. The exploration of luminescent and magnetic MIP-NCs with high-specificity affinity toward analytes has great significance for clinical diagnosis, environmental analysis and homeland security. Here, we summarize the novel approaches to fabrication of luminescent MIP-NCs and their recent applications in sensing.