Effects of linker molecules on the attachment and growth of gold nanoparticles on indium tin oxide surfaces

Electro-Nano Diagnostic Platform Based on Antibody-Antigen Interaction: An Electrochemical Immunosensor for Influenza A Virus Detection

H1N1 is a kind of influenza A virus that causes serious health issues throughout the world. Its symptoms are more serious than seasonal flu and can sometimes be lethal. For this reason, rapid, accurate, and effective diagnostic tests are needed. In this study, an electrochemical immunosensor for the sensitive, selective, and practical detection of the H1N1 virus was developed. The sensor platform included multi-walled carbon nanotube gold-platinum (MWCNT-Au-Pt) hybrid nanomaterial and anti-hemagglutinin (anti-H1) monoclonal antibody. For the construction of this biosensor, a gold screen-printed electrode (AuSPE) was used as a transducer. Firstly, AuSPE was modified with MWCNT-Au-Pt hybrid nanomaterial via drop casting. Anti-H1 antibody was immobilized onto the electrode surface after the modification process with cysteamine was applied. Then, the effect of the interaction time with cysteamine for surface modification was investigated. Following that, the experimental parameters, such as the amount of hybrid nanomaterial and the concentration of anti-H1 were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the analytical characteristics of the developed electrochemical immunosensor were investigated for the H1N1 virus by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. As a result, a linear range was obtained between 2.5-25.0 µg/mL with a limit of the detection value of 3.54 µg/mL. The relative standard deviation value for 20 µg/mL of the H1N1 virus was also calculated and found as 0.45% (n = 3). In order to determine the selectivity of the developed anti-H1-based electrochemical influenza A immunosensor, the response of this system towards the H3N2 virus was investigated. The matrix effect was also investigated by using synthetic saliva supplemented with H1N1 virus.

Competitive Attachment of Gold Nanoparticles on an Indium Tin Oxide Electrode

Fundamental aspects of the attachment of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto a 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode were explored using commercially available Au colloid solutions of 5, 10 and 20 nm. In particular, competitive attachments of AuNPs were observed using mixed solutions of two Au colloids. Consequently, it was found that smaller AuNPs are easily attached on an APTMS modified ITO. On the other hand, the result of the stepwise attachments showed that after the surface was modified by the first AuNPs, the second AuNPs have difficulty attaching. This means, if surface connecting -NH2 terminals of APTMS are once occupied, further modification or exchange of the attached AuNPs would not be easy. From the present results, a contaminant amount of smaller AuNPs is considered to be a practical problem in modifying ITO surfaces by AuNPs.

Vertically oriented Ti-Pd mixed oxynitride nanotube arrays for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to design and discover photoactive nanostructured materials that can be used as anodes in water photoelectrolysis cells. Herein, we report on the growth of a novel photoanode material composed of self-ordered, vertically oriented nanotube arrays of titanium-palladium mixed oxynitride films via anodization of Ti-Pd alloy in an electrolyte solution of formamide containing NH(4)F at room temperature, followed by annealing in an ammonia atmosphere. The nanostructure topology was found to depend on both the anodization time and the applied voltage. Our results demonstrate the ability to grow mixed oxynitride nanotube array films that are several micrometers thick. The Ti-Pd oxynitride nanotube array films were utilized in solar-spectrum water photoelectrolysis, demonstrating a photocurrent density of 1.9 mA/cm(2) and a ∼5-fold increase in the photoconversion efficiency under AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW/cm(2), 1.0 M KOH) compared to pure TiO(2) nanotubes fabricated and tested under the same conditions. The obtained efficiency is among the highest reported values for a TiO(2) nanotube-based photoelectrochemical cell. This enhancement in the photoconversion efficiency is related to the synergistic effects of Pd alloying, nitrogen doping, and the unique structural properties of the fabricated nanotube arrays.