A cardiac troponin I photoelectrochemical immunosensor: nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots–bismuth oxyiodide–flower-like SnO2

Self-powered photochemical cathode aptamer sensor based on ZnIn2S4 photoanode and Cu2O@Ag@Ag3PO4 photocathode for the sensitive detection of Hg2

A self-powered photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptamer sensor based on ZnIn2S4 as the photoanode and Cu2O@Ag@Ag3PO4 as the sensing cathode is designed for the detection of Hg2+. An indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with ZnIn2S4 was used instead of a platinum (Pt) counter electrode to provide an obviously stable photocurrent signal. The suitable band gap width of ZnIn2S4 can generate photogenerated electrons well. The unique hydrangea structure of ZnIn2S4 can enhance light absorption and accelerate the separation and transfer of photocarriers. At the same time, Cu2O@Ag@Ag3PO4 with excellent electrical conductivity further enhances the photocurrent provided by the ZnIn2S4 photoanode. Because the reducing substances in the biological medium can change the photoanode characteristics of the photoanode interface, the separation of the photoanode and the sensing bicathode is beneficial to improve the anti-interference ability of the sensor. Under optimized conditions, the PEC aptamer sensor realizes the detection of Hg2+ (1 mM-1 fM), and the detection limit is 0.4 fM. In addition, the constructed self-powered PEC sensor has good selectivity, repeatability, and stability, which provides a new idea for the design of the PEC aptamer sensor platform.

High-performance assaying cardiac troponin I using Bi-doped tin-based heterojunction in photoelectrochemical biosensing with the quencher of yolk-shell nanostructure

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a protein regulating myocardial contraction, stands the premier biomarker for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction and stratifying heart disease risk. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing combines traditional PEC analysis with high bioconjugation specificity, rendering a prospective avenue for disease biomarker analysis. However, the performance of sensors often falls short due to inadequate photoelectric materials. Hence, designing heterojunctions with proper band alignment, effective transport and separation of photogenerated carriers is highly expected for PEC sensors. Meanwhile, doping as a synergistic strategy to tune the energy band edges and improve carrier transport in heterojunctions, can also enhance the sensing performance. In this work, bismuth-doped tin oxide and tin disulfide heterojunction (Bi-SnOS) was prepared via a simple one-step hydrothermal method and utilized as a highly sensitive platform. Integrating copper sulfide-coated nano-gold (Au@CuS), a yolk-shell shaped nanocomposites, as the double quenching probe, an excellent PEC biosensor was fabricated to assay cTnI via sandwich immunorecognition. Under optimal conditions, the proposed biosensor displayed a high-performance for cTnI in the range from 0.1 pg/mL to 5.0 ng/mL with a low detection limit (44.7 fg/mL, 3σ). The strong photocurrent response, high stability and suitable selectivity point out that the synergistic effect between heterojunction and doping provides a promising prospect for the design of new PEC materials.

Hydrangea-like TiO2/Bi2MoO6 porous nanoflowers triggering highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensing to tumor marker

Rapid and sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is of great significance for cancer patients. Here, molybdenum (Mo) was doped into bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) by one-pot hydrothermal method forming porous tremella Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites with a larger specific surface area than the spherical structure. Then, a new kind of hydrangea-like TiO2/Bi2MoO6 porous nanoflowers (NFs) was prepared by doping titanium into Bi2MoO6, where titanium dioxide (TiO2) grew in situ on the surface of Bi2MoO6 nanoparticles (NPs). The hydrangea-like structure provides larger specific surface area, higher electron transfer ability and biocompatibility as well as more active sites conducive to the attachment of anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) to TiO2/Bi2MoO6 NFs. A novel label-free electrochemical immunosensor was then constructed for the quantitative detection of CEA using TiO2/Bi2MoO6 NFs as sensing platform, showing a good linear relationship with CEA in the concentration range 1.0 pg/mL ~ 1.0 mg/mL and a detection limit of 0.125 pg/mL (S/N = 3). The results achieved with the designed immunosensor are comparable with many existing immunosensors used for the detection of CEA in real samples.

Photoelectrochemical quenching-recovery biosensor based on NSCQDs/Fe2O3@Bi2S3 for the detection of trypsin

BACKGROUND

The content of trypsin will change when pancreatic diseases occur, therefore developing a high-performance method for trypsin detection is of great significance for guiding patients on medication plans and improving their prognosis. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) analysis techniques have emerged as a solution to apply for bioassays.

RESULTS

Herein, the Fe2O3@Bi2S3 and Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon quantum dots (NSCQDs) were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Subsequently, NSCQDs/Fe2O3@Bi2S3 with a photocurrent amplification effect covered on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode as the substrate material and apoferritin (APO) as a bio-recognition element to quench the photocurrent of the substrate material which can be excited with light. Due to the decomposition specifically between APO and trypsin, the photocurrent response increased. The linear range for trypsin detection showed satisfied results from 2 to 1000 ng mL-1 under optimal conditions, with a detection limit of 0.42 ng mL-1 and a recovery rate of 97.41 %-103.02 %, enabling efficient quantitative analysis of trypsin.

SIGNIFICANCE

In this experiment, a PEC biosensor with simple operation, low detection limit, excellent selectivity and strong stability was successfully prepared, enabling quantitative analysis of trypsin in human serum samples through the quenching-recovery mechanism. It holds great significance for diagnosis and serves as a practical method for the detection of trypsin in the future.

Membraneless, self-powered immunosensing of a cardiac biomarker by exploiting a PEC platform based on CaBi2Ta2O9 combined with bismuth oxyiodides

This work describes the development of a membraneless, self-powered immunosensor exploiting a photoelectrochemical system based on two photoelectrodes for cardiac troponin I (cTn). An electrode based on CaBi2Ta2O9 combined with bismuth oxyiodides (BiOI/Bi4O5I2/Bi5O7I) was modified with the cTnI antibody (anti-cTnI) and applied in a photoelectrochemical cell as a photoanode. To perform the cTnI detection exploiting a self-powered photoelectrochemical setup, the immunosensor (anti-cTnI/BiOI/Bi4O5I2/Bi5O7I/CaBi2Ta2O9/FTO) was coupled to a photoelectrochemical cell containing a photocathode based on CuBi2O4 (CBO/FTO) for zero-biased photoelectrochemical immunosensing of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) biomarker. For comparison purposes, the photoanode was applied for cTnI detection in a three-electrode electrochemical cell. The spectroscopic, structural, and morphological characteristics of the photoelectrochemical (PEC) materials were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed in the presence and absence of light to investigate the effects of photons on the charge transfer resistance of the photoanode. The influence of the cTnI biomarker on the photoelectrochemical response of the anti-cTnI antibody-modified photoelectrochemical platform (anti-cTnI/BiOI/Bi4O5I2/Bi5O7I/CaBi2Ta2O9/FTO) was evaluated by measuring the photocurrent of the system. The immunosensor presented a linear response ranging from 1 pg mL-1 to 200 ng mL-1 as well as a mean recovery percentage between 95.7% and 108.0% in real human serum samples for the cTnI biomarker.

S-Scheme Porphyrin Covalent Organic Framework Heterojunction for Boosted Photoelectrochemical Immunoassays in Myocardial Infarction Diagnosis

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is an extremely sensitive biomarker for early indication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it still remains a tough challenge for many newly developed cTnI biosensors to achieve superior sensing performance including high sensitivity, rapid detection, and resistance to interference in clinical serum samples. Herein, a novel photocathodic immunosensor toward cTnI sensing has been successfully developed by designing a unique S-scheme heterojunction based on the porphyrin-based covalent organic frameworks (p-COFs) and p-type silicon nanowire arrays (p-SiNWs). In the novel heterojunction, the p-SiNWs are employed as the photocathode platform to acquire a strong photocurrent response. The in situ-grown p-COFs can accelerate the spatial migration rate of charge carriers by forming proper band alignment with the p-SiNWs. The crystalline π-conjugated network of p-COFs with abundant amino groups also promotes the electron transfer and anti-cTnI immobilizing process. The developed photocathodic immunosensor demonstrates a broad detection range of 5 pg/mL-10 ng/mL and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.36 pg/mL in clinical serum samples. Besides, the PEC sensor owns several advantages including good stability and superior anti-interference ability. By comparing our results with that of the commercial ELISA method, the relative deviations range from 0.06 to 0.18% (n = 3), and the recovery rates range from 95.4 to 109.5%. This work displays a novel strategy to design efficient and stable PEC sensing platforms for cTnI detection in real-life serums and provides guidance in future clinical diagnosis.

Photoelectrochemical Determination of Cardiac Troponin I as a Biomarker of Myocardial Infarction Using a Bi2S3 Film Electrodeposited on a BiVO4-Coated Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Electrode

A sensitive and selective label-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was designed for the detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). The platform was based on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass photoelectrode modified with bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) and sensitized by an electrodeposited bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) film. The PEC response of the Bi₂S₃/BiVO₄/FTO platform for the ascorbic acid (AA) donor molecule was approximately 1.6-fold higher than the response observed in the absence of Bi₂S₃. The cTnI antibodies (anti-cTnI) were immobilized on the Bi₂S₃/BiVO₄/FTO platform surface to produce the anti-cTnI/Bi₂S₃/BiVO₄/FTO immunosensor, which was incubated in cTnI solution to inhibit the AA photocurrent. The photocurrent obtained by the proposed immunosensor presented a linear relationship with the logarithm of the cTnI concentration, ranging from 1 pg mL^-1 to 1000 ng mL^-1. The immunosensor was successfully employed in artificial blood plasma samples for the detection of cTnI, with recovery values ranging from 98.0% to 98.5%.

A novel split-type photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on chemical redox cycling amplification for sensitive detection of cardiac troponin I

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay is a burgeoning and promising bioanalytical method. However, the practical application of PEC still exist some challenges such as the inevitable damage of biomolecules caused by the PEC system and the unsatisfactory sensitivity for biomarkers with low abundance in real sample. To solve the problems, we integrated the cosensitized structure of Ag2S/ZnO nanocomposities as photoelectrode with photogenerated hole-induced chemical redox cycling amplification (CRCA) strategy to develop a split-type PEC immunosensor for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with high sensitivity. Initially, the immunoreaction was carried out on the 96-well plates in which alkaline phosphatase (ALP) could catalyze ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AAP) to generate the signal-reporting species ascorbic acid (AA). Subsequently, the AA participated and the tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine (TCEP) mediated chemical redox cycling reaction took place on the photoelectrode, thus leading to signal amplification. Under the optimized conditions, the immunosensor demonstrated a detection limit (LOD) of 3.0 × 10^-15 g mL^-1 with a detection range of 1.0 × 10^-14 g mL^-1 to 1.0 × 10^-9 g mL^-1 for cTnI. Impressively, the proposed method could determine the cTnI in human serum samples with high sensitivity and satisfactory accuracy. Considering the virtues of the photoelectrode and the chemical redox cycling strategy, the method would hold great potential for highly sensitive biosensing and bioanalysis.