Rhombic-like Al nanosupporter-based fluorescent immunochromatographic assay for the sensitive detection of tetracycline

[Display omitted] •The rhombic-like Al nanosupporter (RAlNS) based fluorescence immunochromatographic assay was constructed.•The synthesized RAlNS can label antibodies in one-step stirring, avoiding the use of the complex cross-linkers.•The sensor possessed high sensitivity and specificity for tetracycline (TET).•Significant recovery rates of TET detection in real samples demonstrates the sensor’s applicability. Fluorescence-based lateral flow immunoassay (FLFIA) is a prospective technology in detecting tetracycline (TET). However, the existing fluorescent materials (FMs) often require cross-linkers to bind with antibodies (Abs) to form FLFIA FM-Ab probe, which complicates the modification process and may affect the fluorescence intensity of FMs. Herein, the rhombic-like Al nanosupporter (RAlNS) was prepared via a one-step hydrothermal method and used for designing fluorescence nanosupporter for FLFIA to detect TET in real samples. The RAlNS not only possessed excellent water stability, strong fluorescence intensity and favorable thermal stability, but also could adsorb Abs to obtain FMs-Ab probe by simple centrifugation. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) of RAlNS-FLFIA was 0.0516 ng/mL (n = 3), which was 18 times lower than traditional colloidal gold-based LFIA. Meanwhile, the proposed sensor also exhibited high specificity for TET against other antibiotics. Furthermore, the RAlNS-FLFIA was successfully applied to the detection of TET in beef, chicken, milk and honey samples, separately, which demonstrated a significant recovery of 80.40–112.05%. The novel RAlNS-FLFIA provided great potential for the detection of various analytes in food analysis.