Electrochemical Sensors, a Bright Future in the Fabrication of Portable Kits in Analytical Systems

Materials Approaches for Improving Electrochemical Sensor Performance

Electrochemical sensors have emerged as important diagnostic tools in recent years, due to their simplicity and ease of use. Compared to instrumental analysis methods that use complicated experimental and data analysis techniques─such as mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), spectrophotometric methods, and chromatography─electrochemical sensors show promise for use in a wide range of real-time and in situ applications such as pharmaceutical testing, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnostics. In order to identify analytes in complex and/or biological samples, materials used for both the electrode materials and the chemically selective layer have been evolving throughout the years for optimizing the analytical performance of electrochemical sensors to increase sensitivity, selectivity and linear range. In this Perspective, attention will be focused on different types of materials that have been used for electrochemical sensing, including new combinations of well-studied materials as well as novel strategies to enhance the performance of sensing devices. The Perspective will also discuss existing challenges in the field and future strategies for addressing those challenges.

A replacement-type electrochemiluminescent aptasensor for lysozyme based on full-electric modification electrode coupled to silica-coated Ru(bpy)32+/silver nanospheres

This research proposed a replacement-type electrochemiluminescent (ECL) aptasensor for lysozyme (LYZ) detection at trace levels based on a full-electric modification electrode (FEMG) coupled to silica-coated Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/silver nanospheres (Ru/SNs@SiO₂). The multi-walled carbon nanotubes-doped-thionine (MWCNTs/PTn) electropolymerized modified electrode was decorated with electrodeposited gold nanoparticles (GNs) to form the FEMG. Then, the FEMG was utilized as sensing substrates for the immobilization of the anti-lysozyme aptamer (LA); the stability and number of LA attaching onto the FEMG were dramatically increased. The ECL measurement was used to evaluate the hybridization reaction of LA and the Ru/SNs@SiO₂ marked DNA probe, and it was noted as I_a. After the combination of the LA with the LYZ, the target-triggered replacement of the DNA probe was actualized and the ECL measurement descended to I_b. The ECL difference (ΔI_ECL = I_a - I_b) before and after the replacement event was utilized for quantitation of LYZ. As a result, the fabricated aptasensor with great sensitivity and specificity achieved a wide linear range (10 fM-10 pM) and a low limit of detection (5 fM). It obtained satisfactory recovery for the detection of LYZ in human serum, and the results were identified with the LYZ ELISA kit. Therefore, the proposed ECL sensor is expected to become a promising approach in the field of biomolecule detection.

Firstly Electrochemical Examination of Myosmine at Glassy Carbon Electrode: Sensitive Determination in Tobacco Leaves by Differential Pulse Voltammetry

In this study, the electrochemical properties of myosmine, one of the tobacco alkaloids, were investigated for the first time using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Using GCE with CV technique, it gave an irreversible reduction peak with diffusion control at about −1.38 V in Britton‐Robinson (BR, pH 12.0) medium. A good linear relationship between concentration and current in the range of 0.5 μM–3.5 μM in BR (pH 12.0) medium on GCE with DPV technique [Ip(μA)=0.847 C(μM)+0.114, r=0.995, n=7] has been observed. The proposed method has been successfully applied to tobacco leaves.

Perspective on Nanofiber Electrochemical Sensors: Design of Relative Selectivity Experiments

The use of nanofibers creates the ability for non-enzymatic sensing in various applications and greatly improves the sensitivity, speed, and accuracy of electrochemical sensors for a wide variety of analytes. The high surface area to volume ratio of the fibers as well as their high porosity, even when compared to other common nanostructures, allows for enhanced electrocatalytic, adsorptive, and analyte-specific recognition mechanisms. Nanofibers have the potential to rival and replace materials used in electrochemical sensing. As more types of nanofibers are developed and tested for new applications, more consistent and refined selectivity experiments are needed. We applied this idea in a review of interferant control experiments and real sample analyses. The goal of this review is to provide guidelines for acceptable nanofiber sensor selectivity experiments with considerations for electrocatalytic, adsorptive, and analyte-specific recognition mechanisms. The intended presented review and guidelines will be of particular use to junior researchers designing their first control experiments, but could be used as a reference for anyone designing selectivity experiments for non-enzymatic sensors including nanofibers. We indicate the importance of testing both interferants in complex media and mechanistic interferants in the selectivity analysis of newly developed nanofiber sensor surfaces.

Graphene-Based Flexible Sensors for Simultaneous Detection of Ascorbic Acid, Dopamine, and Uric Acid

Many diseases are closely related to abnormal concentrations of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA). Therefore, the detection of these small molecules is significant for monitoring life metabolism and healthy states. Electrochemical detection has been widely used to detect small molecules due to its good selectivity, high sensitivity, and good economics. Fabrication and application are two sides of the coin, and we cannot give up one for the other. Graphene (GN) is a very suitable material for electrochemical sensing due to its excellent catalytic performance and large specific surface area. It possesses many excellent properties but cannot hold itself alone due to its nanoscale thickness. Herein, we have fabricated three-dimensional (3D) GN nanosheets (GNSs) on flexible carbon cloth (CC) by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The GNSs/CC can successfully detect AA, DA, and UA simultaneously. We find that these GNSs/CC sensors show good performance with 7 h CVD modification. The linear ranges of AA, DA, and UA are 0.02-0.1, 0.0005-0.02, and 0.0005-0.02 mM, respectively. The detection sensitivity rates of AA, DA, and UA are 5,470, 60,500, and 64,000 μA mM-1 cm-2, respectively. Our GNSs/CC flexible sensors can be successfully applied in the human serum for UA detection. The result matches with commercial sensors very well.

Recent advances in developing optical and electrochemical sensors for analysis of methamphetamine: A review

Recognition of misused stimulant drugs has always been a hot topic from a medical and judicial perspective. Methamphetamine (MAMP) is an addictive and illegal drug that profoundly affects the central nervous system. Like other illicit drugs, the detection of MAMP in biological and street samples is vital for several organizations such as forensic medicine, anti-drug headquarters and diagnostic clinics. By emerging nanotechnology and exploiting nanomaterials in sensing applications, a great deal of attention has been given to the design of analytical sensors in MAMP tracing. For the first time, this study has briefly reviewed all the optical and electrochemical sensors in MAMP detection from earlier so far. How various receptors with engineering nanomaterials allow developing novel approaches to measure MAMP have been studied. Fundamental concepts related to optical and electrochemical recognition assays in which nanomaterials have been used and relevant MAMP sensing applications have been comprehensively covered. Challenges, opportunities and future outlooks of this field have also been discussed at the end.

Tuning SLOCK toward Chronic Disease Diagnostics and Management: Label-free Sweat Interleukin-31 Detection

SLOCK (sensor for circadian clock) is an electrochemical sweat-based biosensing platform designed for the diagnosis and management of circadian abnormalities. Previously, the SLOCK platform was designed to detect adrenal steroids, cortisol, and DHEA for tracking the circadian rhythm. This work aims at tuning this SLOCK platform toward the detection of the cytokine, interleukin-31, for building a noninvasive, chronic disease diagnostics and management platform. This research provides a detailed characterization of the sensing surface and immunochemistry. The results show that SLOCK has good sensitivity to IL-31 concentrations in synthetic and human sweat. The limit of detection is 50 and 100 pg/mL for synthetic and human sweat, respectively. The dynamic range of the system is 50-1000 pg/mL, which encompasses the physiological ranges of 150-620 pg/mL. This is the first demonstration of sweat-based, label-free, electrochemical detection of IL-31. In addition to this, the data show good correlation (R 2 > 0.95) for the signal sensitivity to biomarker concentration. Finally, cross-reactivity studies highlight the specificity of SLOCK even in the presence of highly cross-reactive species. Thus, this novel SLOCK biosensor can be successfully used to track IL-31 in a sensitive and noninvasive manner and could be used to identify chronic pathophysiologies present in the body.

Highly Sensitive and Single-Use Biosensing System Based on a GP Electrode for Analysis of Adiponectin, an Obesity Biomarker

This study presents a disposable, novel, and sensitive biosensing system to determine adiponectin, an obesity biomarker, in real human serum. The graphite paper (GP) working electrode is a new material for impedimetric biosensors. In the literature, there is no study in which this electrode is used in impedance-based biosensors for adiponectin detection. Sensitive and useful techniques, such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, were utilized for investigation of the modification of the GP electrode surface and optimization and characterization of the constructed biosensor. The single frequency impedance technique was used to study the interactions between antiadiponectin and adiponectin. The morphology of the electrode surface for each immobilization step was examined with scanning electron microscopy. All experimental parameters were optimized to fabricate a rapid and sensitive biosensing system. The designed biosensor presents excellent performance with a wide detection range (0.05-25 pg mL^-1) and a low limit of detection (0.0033 pg mL^-1) for adiponectin determination. Also, it has been demonstrated that the biosensor sensitively allows for the detection of adiponectin in human serum. The affinity of the designed immunosensor toward other proteins and components was examined in the presence of the target protein (adiponectin), leptin (100 pg mL^-1), creatine kinase (50 pg mL^-1), parathyroid hormone (50 pg mL^-1), and d-glucose (0.5 M). The selectivity of the adiponectin biosensor resulted in high capacity to neglect the interference effect. The constructed biosensor showed good linearity, long-term storage life (10 weeks), high reusability (18 times regenerability), and high ability to detect adiponectin concentrations at picogram levels.

Highly Thermal Conductive Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composites with Oriented Hybrid Networks: Silver Nanowire Bridged Boron Nitride Nanoplatelets

With the increasing demand for thermal management materials in the highly integrated electronics area, building efficient heat-transfer networks to obtain advanced thermally conductive composites is of great significance. In the present work, highly thermally conductive poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/boron nitride nanoplatelets@silver nanowires (BNNS@AgNW) composites were fabricated via the combination of the electrospinning and the spraying technique, followed by a hot-pressing method. BNNS are oriented along the in-plane direction, while AgNWs with a high aspect ratio can help to construct a thermal conductive network effectively by bridging BNNS in the composites. The PVA/BNNS@AgNW composites showed high in-plane thermal conductivity (TC) of 10.9 W/(m·K) at 33 wt % total fillers addition. Meanwhile, the composite shows excellent thermal dispassion capability when it is taken as a thermal interface material of a working light-emitting diode (LED) chip, which is certified by capturing the surface temperature of the LED chip. In addition, the out-of-plane electrical conductivity of the composites is below 10^-12 S/cm. The composites with outstanding thermal conductive and electrical insulating properties hold promise for application in electrical packaging and thermal management.

Interspace-controlled biosensing interface with enhanced charge transfer based on tripod DNA probes

Binding of a target by a probe for selective detection depends on the state of the probes on the sensing interface. Here, the hanging strand length of triple-helix DNA was used to form tripod probes immobilized via π-π interactions on a reduced graphene-oxide substrate. The spacing between the probes was adjusted by controlling the lengths of the tripod "feet" on the substrate; that is, increased probe spacing occurred when foot size increased over the range of 6-12 bases. The surface coverages and electron-transfer rates mediated the tripod DNA probes were characterized by electrochemical methods and atomic force microscopy. The electron-transfer mediated by the tripod DNA probes was higher than that mediated by doubled-stranded DNA. Then different sizes tripod DNA probes were developed for protein-CEA detection. The DNA probes with 10 bases feet showed the best detection limit of detection of 10^-6 ng/mL in the detection linear range (10^-6 - 25 ng/mL). The result demonstrated the tripod DNA probes with different sizes could obtain excellent sensitivity when it applied to the target with appropriate size. This interspace-controlled biosensing interface of tripod DNA probes with enhanced charge transfer should find widespread applications in clinical, medical, biological, and environmental areas for precise detection of differently sized targets.

Tailoring spatial structure of electroactive biofilm for enhanced activity and direct electron transfer on iron phthalocyanine modified anode in microbial fuel cells

Electroactive biofilm (EAB) has been considered as the core determining electricity generation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and its spatial structure regulation for enhanced activity and selectivity is of great concern. In this study, iron phthalocyanine (FePc) was introduced into a carbon cloth (CC) electrode, aiming at improving the affinity between the anode and outer membrane c-type cytochromes (OM c-Cyts) and achieving a highly active EAB. The FePc modified CC anode (FePc-CC) effectively improved the viability of EAB and enriched the Geobacter species up to 44.83% (FePc-CC) from 6.97% (CC). The FePc-CC anode achieved a much higher power density of 2419 mW m^-2 than the CC (560 mW m^-2) and a remarkable higher biomass loading of 2477.2 ± 84.5 μg cm^-2 than the CC (749.3 ± 31.3 μg cm^-2). As the charge transfer resistance was decreased by 58.6 times from 395.2 Ω (CC) to 6.74 Ω (FePc-CC), the interfacial reaction rate was accelerated and the direct electron transfer via OM c-Cyts was promoted. This work provides an effective method to improve the EAB activity by regulating its spatial structure, and opens the door toward the development of highly active EAB using metal phthalocyanines in MFCs.

Disposable and low-cost electrochemical sensor based on the colorless nail polish and graphite composite material for tartrazine detection

A new method to manufacture electrochemical devices based on the graphite and colorless nail polish (N-grap) film was developed for tartrazine (Tz) detection. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) demonstrates that the composite material presents a high porous carbon structure. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to electrochemically characterize the electrode material, which corroborates the porous structure of the N-graph due to the enhanced electroactive area (5.4-fold increase) and presented a heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k0) of 5.82 × 10-3 cm s-1 for potassium ferricyanide. The electrochemical determination of the Tz was carried out using square-wave voltammetry (SWV), under the optimized experimental conditions, which showed high sensitivity (0.793 A L mol-1) and a lower limit of detection (LOD) of 2.10 × 10-8 mol L-1 with a linear concentration ranging from 2.0 to 50.0 μmol L-1. The developed sensor was applied for the analysis of Tz in sports drink samples and the result obtained by N-grap device was statistically compared with a spectrophotometric method demonstrating good accordance and the accuracy of the proposed method. Based on these results, we believe that this new fabrication method to produce disposable and low-cost electrochemical devices can be an alternative method for in-field analysis of dye in commercial sport drink samples and other relevant applications.

Electrochemical immunosensor development based on core-shell high-crystalline graphitic carbon nitride@carbon dots and Cd0.5Zn0.5S/d-Ti3C2Tx MXene composite for heart-type fatty acid-binding protein detection

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a significant health problem owing to its high mortality rate. Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (h-FABP) is an important biomarker in the diagnosis of AMI. In this work, an electrochemical h-FABP immunosensor was developed based on Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/d-Ti₃C₂T_x MXene (MXene: Transition metal carbide or nitride) composite as signal amplificator and core-shell high-crystalline graphitic carbon nitride@carbon dots (hc-g-C₃N₄@CDs) as electrochemical sensor platform. Firstly, a facile calcination technique was applied to the preparation of hc-g-C₃N₄@CDs and immobilization of primary antibody was performed on hc-g-C₃N₄@CDs surface. Then, the conjugation of the second antibody to Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/d-Ti₃C₂T_x MXene was carried out by strong π-π and electrostatic interactions. The prepared electrochemical h-FABP immunosensor was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) method, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The prepared electrochemical h-FABP immunosensor indicated a good sensitivity with detection limit (LOD) of 3.30 fg mL^-1 in the potential range +0.1 to +0.5 V. Lastly, low-cost, satisfactory stable, and environmentally friendly immunosensor was presented for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.

Ultrasensitive Nanopore Sensing of Mucin 1 and Circulating Tumor Cells in Whole Blood of Breast Cancer Patients by Analyte-Triggered Triplex-DNA Release

The characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) by liquid biopsy has a great potential for precision medicine in oncology. Here, a universal and tandem logic-based strategy is developed by combining multiple nanomaterials and nanopore sensing for the determination of mucin 1 protein (MUC1) and breast cancer CTCs in real samples. The strategy consists of analyte-triggered signal conversion, cascaded amplification via nanomaterials including copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), and biomaterials including DNA hydrogel and DNAzyme, and single-molecule-level detection by nanopore sensing. The amplification of the non-DNA nanomaterial gives this method considerable stability, significantly lowers the limit of detection (LOD), and enhances the anti-interference performance for complicated samples. As a result, the ultrasensitive detection of MUC1 could be achieved in the range of 0.0005-0.5 pg/mL, with an LOD of 0.1 fg/mL. Moreover, we further tested MUC1 as a biomarker for the clinical diagnosis of breast cancer CTCs under double-blind conditions on the basis of this strategy, and MCF-7 cells could be accurately detected in the range from 5 to 2000 cells/mL, with an LOD of 2 cells/mL within 6 h. The detection results of the 19 clinical samples were highly consistent with those of the clinical pathological sections, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and color ultrasound. These results demonstrate the validity and reliability of our method and further proved the feasibility of MUC1 as a clinical diagnostic biomarker for CTCs.

A critical review on the use of potentiometric based biosensors for biomarkers detection

Potentiometric-based biosensors have the potential to advance the detection of several biological compounds and help in early diagnosis of various diseases. They belong to the portable analytical class of biosensors for monitoring biomarkers in the human body. They contain ion-sensitive membranes sensors can be used to determine potassium, sodium, and chloride ions activity while being used as a biomarker to gauge human health. The potentiometric based ion-sensitive membrane systems can be coupled with various techniques to create a sensitive tool for the fast and early detection of cancer biomarkers and other critical biological compounds. This paper discusses the application of potentiometric-based biosensors and classifies them into four major categories: photoelectrochemical potentiometric biomarkers, potentiometric biosensors amplified with molecular imprinted polymer systems, wearable potentiometric biomarkers and light-addressable potentiometric biosensors. This review demonstrated the development of several innovative biosensor-based techniques that could potentially provide reliable tools to test biomarkers. Some challenges however remain, but these can be removed by coupling techniques to maximize the testing sensitivity.

A sensitive and fast approach for voltammetric analysis of bisphenol a as a toxic compound in food products using a Pt-SWCNTs/ionic liquid modified sensor

A sensitive and fast approach has been introduced for the voltammetric sensing of bisphenol A based on modification of a paste electrode with Pt-SWCNTs and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium n-butylsulfate as a highly conductive binder. The new sensor was used to determine the concentration of bisphenol A in food products in I-V mode. The Pt-SWCNTs nanocomposite was synthesized through the polyol method and its morphology was evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The determining factors influencing the sensing performance, i.e., pH and mediators used in the modification process were optimized in the first step and the results showed that at a pH of 7.0, a modified paste containing 9% (w:w) nanocomposite and 20% (v:v) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium n-butylsulfate formed catalytic properties enhancing the oxidation signal of bisphenol A by 5.9 folds. Current density investigation clearly confirmed the conductivity of Pt-SWCNTs and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium n-butylsulfate in the paste matrix. In addition, fabricated sensor showed considerable sensing behavior for bisphenol A in the concentration range of 0.5 nM-180 μM with a detection limit of 0.2 nM. In the final step, using standard addition technique, the ability of fabricated sensor for sensing bisphenol A in food products was evaluated, and the results confirmed improved performance of the modified electrodes.

Label-free highly sensitive detection of DNA approximate length and concentration by impedimetric CRISPR-dCas9 based biosensor technology

In this study, we designed a CRISPR-dCas9-based biosensor with potential clinical use in glioblastoma subtype discrimination through detection of isocitrate dehydrogenase R132H (IDH) mutation status. The electrode was modified to detect mutant DNA cysteamine (Cys), PAMAM, dCas9 and sgRNA for R132H mutations, respectively. The biosensor system we proposed was able not only to detect mutant DNA, but also to measure the approximate length of DNA. Therefore, it can be considered that the biosensor technology that we developed is novel in the field of DNA biosensors. Another superior capability of the biosensor system is that it can simultaneously measure DNA concentration by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and DNA length by capacitive detection, which lowers the concentration-based false-positive signals. The calibration range was obtained between 100 fM and 1000 fM, LOD and LOQ were also calculated as 33.96 fM and 102.91 fM respectively. Moreover, thanks to the sensitivity of the capacitive detection, the biosensor was able to discriminate the same EIS signals of the 200 bp and 250 fM concentration data and 1000 bp and 50 fM concentration data. In conclusion, the biosensor was capable of detect target DNA and DNA length, simultaneously in minutes.

Development of a New Electrochemical Sensor Based on Mag-MIP Selective Toward Amoxicillin in Different Samples

This work describes an electrochemical sensor for the selective recognition and quantification of amoxicillin and a β-lactam antibiotic in real samples. This sensor consists of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with mag-MIP (magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer), which was prepared by precipitation method via free radical using acrylamide (AAm) as functional monomer, N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA) as a crosslinker, and potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator, to functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. The magnetic non-imprinted polymers (mag-NIP) were prepared using the same experimental procedure without analyte and used for the preparation of a CPE for comparative studies. The morphological, structural, and electrochemical characteristics of the nanostructured material were evaluated using Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and voltammetric technique. Electrochemical experiments performed by square wave voltammetry show that the mag-MIP/CPE sensor had a better signal response compared to the non-imprinted polymer-modified electrode (mag-NIP/CPE). The sensor showed a linear range from 2.5 to 57 μmol L^-1 of amoxicillin (r ² = 0.9964), with a limit of detection and a limit of quantification of 0.75 and 2.48 μmol L^-1, respectively. No significant interference in the electrochemical signal of amoxicillin was observed during the testing experiments in real samples (skimmed milk and river water). The proposed mag-MIP/CPE sensor could be used as a good alternative method to confront other techniques to determine amoxicillin in different samples.

A novel non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on NiFe(NPs)-polyaniline hybrid materials

This article was focused on the elaboration of NiFe-Polyaniline glucose sensors via electrochemical technique. Firstly, the PANi (polyaniline) fibers were synthesized by oxidation of the monomer aniline on FTO (fluorine tin oxide) substrate. Secondly, the Nickel-Iron nanoparticles (NiFe (NPs)) were obtained by the Chronoamperometry method on the Polyaniline surface. The NiFe-PANi hybrid electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), force atomic microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical glucose sensing performance of the NiFe alloy nanoparticle was studied by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. The fabricated glucose sensor Ni-Fe hybrid material exhibited many remarkable sensing performances, such as low-response time (4 s), sensitivity (1050 μA mM^-1 cm^-2), broad linear range (from 10 μM -1 mM), and low limit of detection (LOD) (0.5 μM, S/N = 3). The selectivity, reliability, and stability of the NiFe hybrid material for glucose oxidation were also investigated. All the results demonstrated that the NiFe-PANi/FTO hybrid electrode is very promising for application in electrochemical glucose sensing.

A novel electrochemical lung cancer biomarker cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 immunosensor based on Si3N4/MoS2 incorporated MWCNTs and core-shell type magnetic nanoparticles

Lung cancer is one of deadliest and most life threatening cancer types. Cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1) is a significant biomarker for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to these reasons, a novel electrochemical immunosensor based on a silicon nitride (Si3N4)-molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) composite on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Si3N4/MoS2-MWCNTs) as an electrochemical sensor platform and core-shell type magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles@gold nanoparticles (MMSNs@AuNPs) as a signal amplifier was presented for CYFRA21-1 detection in this study. Capture antibody (Ab1) immobilization on a Si3N4/MoS2-MWCNT modified glassy carbon electrode (Si3N4/MoS2-MWCNTs/GCE) was firstly successfully performed by stable electrostatic/ionic interactions between the -NH2 groups of the capture antibody and the polar groups of Si3N4/MoS2. Then, specific antibody-antigen interactions between the electrochemical sensor platform and the signal amplifier formed a novel voltammetric CYFRA21-1 immunosensor. The prepared composite materials and electrochemical sensor surfaces were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A linearity range of 0.01-1.0 pg mL-1 and a low detection limit (LOD) of 2.00 fg mL-1 were also obtained for analytical applications. Thus, the proposed immunosensor based on Si3N4/MoS2-MWCNTs and MMSNs@AuNPs has great potential for medical diagnosis of lung cancer.

Synthesis of biocompatible chitosan functionalized Ag decorated biocomposite for effective antibacterial and anticancer activity

The transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) like MoS₂ and WS₂ are a new and interesting class of materials and show considerable promise for use in a wide variety of fields, including nanomedicine for cancer. The eco-friendly, biodegradability, toxicity, and antimicrobial activity remain an open issue. Herein, we focused on the current demands of two dimensional (2D) TMDCs and produced high-quality, few-layered MoS₂ nanosheets. Noble metal Ag incorporated into the 2D-CS/MoS₂ NC by the liquid exfoliated process. The manufactured CS/MoS₂/Ag hybrid NC showed excellent antibacterial activity against two microorganisms such as Gram-positive (21, 27, and 33 mm) and Gram-negative bacteria (23, 30, and 39 mm). The CS/MoS_2/Ag hybrid NC was designed to have significant antibacterial activity against E.coli bacteria than S.aureus. Furthermore, the hybrid NC has a 74.18% cell inhibition against MCF-7 cancer cells. According to the literature relevant, it is the first extensive experimental analysis on the nano-bio interaction of 2D TMDCs nanomaterials in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Novel voltammetric tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) immunosensor based on gold nanoparticles involved in thiol-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and bimetallic Ni/Cu-MOFs

TNF-α, as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, regulates some physiological and pathological courses. TNF-α level increases in some important diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and diabetes. In addition, it displays an important function in Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. Herein, a novel, sensitive, and selective voltammetric TNF-α immunosensor was prepared by using gold nanoparticles involved in thiol-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (AuNPs/S-MWCNTs) as sensor platform and bimetallic Ni/Cu-MOFs as sensor amplification. Firstly, the sensor platform was developed on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface by using mixture of thiol-functionalized MWCNTs (S-MWCNTs) and AuNPs. Then, capture TNF-α antibodies were conjugated to sensor platform by amino-gold affinity. After capture TNF-α antibodies' immobilization, a new-type voltammetric TNF-α immunosensor was developed by immune reaction between AuNPs/S-MWCNTs immobilized with primer TNF-α antibodies and bimetallic Ni/Cu-MOFs conjugated with seconder TNF-α antibodies. The prepared TNF-α immunosensor was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) method, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A linearity range of 0.01-1.0 pg mL^-1 and a low detection limit of 2.00 fg mL^-1 were also obtained for analytical applications.

Polyethylene Terephthalate-Based Materials for Lithium-Ion Battery Separator Applications: A Review Based on Knowledge Domain Analysis

As the key material of lithium battery, separator plays an important role in isolating electrons, preventing direct contact between anode and cathode, and allowing free passage of lithium ions in the electrolyte. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has excellent mechanical, thermodynamic, and electrical insulation properties. This review aims to identify the research progress and development trends of PET-based material for separator application. We retrieved published papers (2004–2019) from the Scientific Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database of the WoS with a topic search related to PET-based material for separator application. The research progress and development trends were analyzed based on the CiteSpace software of text mining and visualization.