Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin based on nano-composite film of gold nanopaticles and poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) functionalized graphene

Electrochemical sensor for the discrimination of bilirubin in real human blood based on Au nanoparticles/ tetrathiafulvalene -carboxylate functionalized reduced graphene oxide 0D-2D heterojunction

In clinical practice, the excess concentration of bilirubin can trigger diseases such as neonatal jaundice, hepatic failure, septicemia, and so on. The concentration of bilirubin is one of important clinical indexes to evaluate patients with hepatic function disease in clinical practice. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop a rapid detection technique detecting the bilirubin in body fluids. Here, a new electrochemical sensor based on Au nanoparticles/tetrathiafulvalene-carboxylate functionalized reduced grapheneoxide 0D-2D heterojunction(AuNPs/TTF-COOH/RGO) was fabricated for the discrimination of bilirubin in real human blood. The TTF-COOH could effectively repair electron conductivity of RGO nanosheets, decrease interface resistance, and also enhance the dispersity of TTF-COOH/RGO nanosheets in water. What's more, the S atoms of TTF-COOH can bonding the gold nano-particles (AuNPs) to fabricate a 0D-2D heterojunction with excellent biocompatibility and enhanced specific surface area. After bilirubin oxidases were self-assembled on the surface of AuNPs, a specific recognition interface was formed as a sensor for the detection of bilirubin. The heterojunction showed enhanced interface electron transfer rate, excellent biocompatibility, and also prominent electrocatalytic activity for the high efficiency catalysis of bilirubin. The sensor shows a linear response for bilirubin from 2.66 to 83  μmol L^-1 and a low detection limit of 0.74 μmol L^-1 at 3σ. This work provides one novel approach to detection of bilirubin by functional RGO nanosheets, and broadens the application area of RGO nanosheets in selective catalysis and detection of biomolecule in biological specimens, such as blood, urine.

Adsorptive removal of cationic and anionic dyes using graphene oxide

This paper presents the results of comparative study on the application of graphene oxide (GO) for the adsorptive removal of crystal violet (CV) and methyl orange (MO) in batch mode. GO, synthesised from graphite, was characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, point of zero charge (pH_PZC) and ultra violet (UV) spectroscopy. Dispersion of GO in water revealed the conversion of hydrophobic graphite into hydrophilic. Performance with regard to adsorption of CV and MO on GO was evaluated at different values of the operational parameters such as contact time between GO and the dye molecules, dosage of GO, and initial concentration and pH of the dye solution. Uptake and percentage removal of the dyes increased with increase in contact time and adsorbent dosage, but declined with increase in initial concentration of the dye. Experimental data on the uptake of dye molecules by GO showed good fit with the Freundlich isotherm model and the pseudo second order kinetic model. The maximum uptake by GO was higher for CV (207.4 mg/g) than that for MO (37.2 mg/g). Results indicate that GO is an effective adsorbent for the removal of CV but not for MO.

Recent Progress in the Development of Conducting Polymer-Based Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Biosensors Applications: A Mini-Review

Among various immobilizing materials, conductive polymer-based nanocomposites have been widely applied to fabricate the biosensors, because of their outstanding properties such as excellent electrocatalytic activity, high conductivity, and strong adsorptive ability compared to conventional conductive polymers. Electrochemical biosensors have played a significant role in delivering the diagnostic information and therapy monitoring in a rapid, simple, and low cost portable device. This paper reviews the recent developments in conductive polymer-based nanocomposites and their applications in electrochemical biosensors. The article starts with a general and concise comparison between the properties of conducting polymers and conducting polymer nanocomposites. Next, the current applications of conductive polymer-based nanocomposites of some important conducting polymers such as PANI, PPy, and PEDOT in enzymatic and nonenzymatic electrochemical biosensors are overviewed. This review article covers an 8-year period beginning in 2010.

Catalase-Based Modified Graphite Electrode for Hydrogen Peroxide Detection in Different Beverages

A catalase-based (NAF/MWCNTs) nanocomposite film modified glassy carbon electrode for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection was developed. The developed biosensor was characterized in terms of its bioelectrochemical properties. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique was employed to study the redox features of the enzyme in the absence and in the presence of nanomaterials dispersed in Nafion® polymeric solution. The electron transfer coefficient, α, and the electron transfer rate constant, ks , were found to be 0.42 and 1.71 s-1, at pH 7.0, respectively. Subsequently, the same modification steps were applied to mesoporous graphite screen-printed electrodes. Also, these electrodes were characterized in terms of their main electrochemical and kinetic parameters. The biosensor performances improved considerably after modification with nanomaterials. Moreover, the association of Nafion with carbon nanotubes retained the biological activity of the redox protein. The enzyme electrode response was linear in the range 2.5-1150 μmol L-1, with LOD of 0.83 μmol L-1. From the experimental data, we can assess the possibility of using the modified biosensor as a useful tool for H2O2 determination in packaged beverages.

Electrochemical immunosensor for interferon-γ based on disposable ITO detector and HRP-antibody-conjugated nano gold as signal tag

Tuberculosis is the most frequent cause of infection-related death worldwide. A new disposable electrochemical immunosensor with low cost and simple fabrication was proposed to detect interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Diallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) and Au nanoparticle (AuNP) composite were used to provide an efficient biointerface, horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled antibody-conjugated AuNP (HRP-Ab2-AuNP) bioconjugates were used as a novel signal tag. The large amounts of HRP on the signal tag can catalyze the oxidation of Hydroquinone (HQ) by H2O2, which can induce an amplified reductive current. The catalytic reduction current was related to the amount of HRP immobilized on the surface, which itself was related to the concentration of IFN-γ. Under optimized conditions, the proposed immunosensor showed a high sensitivity and a linear range of 0.1-10,000pg/mL with a detection limit of 0.048pg/mL. The assay results of clinical serum samples obtained by the immunosensor were in acceptable agreement with the reference values. Therefore, the immunosensor possessed excellent clinical value in early diagnosis and control of tuberculosis.

Novel electrochemical dual-aptamer-based sandwich biosensor using molybdenum disulfide/carbon aerogel composites and Au nanoparticles for signal amplification

A new electrochemical aptamer biosensor for the platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) detection has been developed based on the signal amplification of MoS2/carbon aerogel composites (MoS2/CA) and sandwich assay. A facile hydrothermal route assisted by L-cysteine was applied to synthesize CA incorporated flower-like MoS2 with the large surface active sites and good conductivity. The electrochemical aptasensor was constructed by sandwiching the PDGF-BB between a glassy carbon electrode modified with thiol-terminated PDGF-BB aptamer-1 (Apt1)/gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)/MoS2/CA and the AuNPs with thiol-terminated PDGF-BB aptamer-2 (Apt2) and 6-ferrocenyl hexanethiol (Fc). Fc-AuNPs-Apt2 acted as tracer and AuNPs/MoS2/CA were utilized as the biosensor platform to immobilize a large amount of capture aptamers, owing to their layered structure and high surface-to-volume ratio. Based on the sandwich format, a dual signal amplification strategy had been successfully developed with a wide linear response in the range of 0.001-10nM and a limit of detection of 0.3 pM. The developed assay demonstrated good selectivity and high sensitivity, indicating potential applications in bioanalysis and biomedicine.

Preparation of graphene nanoplatelet-titanate nanotube composite and its advantages over the two single components as biosensor immobilization materials

A novel nanocomposite consisting of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and titanate nanotubes (TNTs) have been synthesized successfully utilizing the hydrothermal method. The GNP-TNT composite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The voltammetric characterization of GNP-TNT composite, pure GNPs and pure TNTs modified horseradish peroxidase (HRP) biosensors were conducted to select the most suitable electrode immobilization material for enzyme biosensors. The GNPs was firstly eliminated owing to its extremely high background charging current, distinct electrochemical interference from its surface functional groups and low signal to noise ratio. Next, the direct electron transfer of HRP on electrode and the catalytic current of HRP towards H2O2 was increased around 45% and 72% respectively on GNP-TNT composite modified electrodes compared with those on pure TNTs modified electrodes. GNP-TNT composite modified HRP biosensor also exhibited superiority over pure TNTs modified HRP biosensor in the analytical performance. The precision and stability study provided additional evidence for the feasibility of using GNP-TNT composite as electrode modification material.

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin at a graphene gold nanoparticle composite film for nitric oxide biosensing

A simple two-step method was employed for preparing nano-sized gold nanoparticles-graphene composite to construct a GNPs-GR-SDS modified electrode. Hemoglobin (Hb) was successfully immobilized on the surface of a basal plane graphite (BPG) electrode through a simple dropping technique. Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of the hemoglobin-modified electrode was investigated. The as-prepared composites showed an obvious promotion of the direct electro-transfer between hemoglobin and the electrode. A couple of well-defined and quasi-reversible Hb CV peaks can be observed in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0). The separation of anodic and cathodic peak potentials is 81 mV, indicating a fast electron transfer reaction. The experimental results also clarified that the immobilized Hb retained its biological activity for the catalysis toward NO. The biosensor showed high sensitivity and fast response upon the addition of NO, under the conditions of pH 7.0, potential -0.82 V. The time to reach the stable-state current was less than 3 s, and the linear response range of NO was 0.72-7.92 μM, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9991.