Viologen-thiol self-assembled monolayers for immobilized horseradish peroxidase at gold electrode surface

Optimized coverage of gold nanoparticles at tyrosinase electrode for measurement of a pesticide in various water samples

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were electrodeposited onto a glassy carbon (GC) electrode to increase the sensitivity of the tyrosinase (TYR) electrode. By controlling the applied potential and time, the coverage of AuNPs at the TYR electrode was optimized with respect to the current response. The voltammetric measurements revealed a sensitive enzymatic oxidation and electrochemical reduction of substrate (phenol and catechol). The quantitative relationships between the inhibition percentage and the pesticide concentration in various water samples were measured at the TYR-AuNP-GC electrode, showing an enhanced performance attributed by the use of AuNPs.

Reagentless amperometric immunosensor for human chorionic gonadotrophin based on direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase

A novel amperometric immunosensor for determination of human serum chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) was constructed by immobilization of HCG with titania sol-gel on a glassy carbon electrode and the direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled to HCG antibody (HRP-anti-HCG). The morphologies of the HCG membrane were characterized to be chemically clean, porous and homogeneous. HRP-anti-HCG was functionally conjugated with the immobilized HCG after incubation in phosphate buffer (PBS) containing HRP-anti-HCG. A direct electron transfer of HRP with a rate constant of 1.35+/-0.40 s(-1) was observed at the HRP-anti-HCG-HCG/titania sol-gel membrane modified electrode in 0.1 M PBS pH 7.0. With a competitive mechanism the differential pulse voltammetric peak current of the immobilized HRP decreased linearly with an increasing HCG concentration from 2.5 to 12.5 mIU/ml in the incubation solution. The HCG immunosensor showed a detection limit of 1.4 mIU/ml, a good accuracy and acceptable precision and reproducibility with an intra-assay CV of 4.7% at 5.0 mIU/ml and an inter-assay precision of 8.1% obtained at 10 mIU/ml. The biosensor displayed a good stability in a storage period of 30 days.

Structured thin films as functional components within biosensors

This review provides an introduction to the field of thin films formed by Langmuir-Blodgett or self-assembly techniques and discusses applications in the field of biosensors. The review commences with an overview of thin films and methods of construction. Methods covered will include Langmuir-Blodgett film formation, formation of self-assembled monolayers such as gold-thiol monolayers and the formation of multilayers by the self-assembly of polyelectrolytes. The structure and forces governing the formation of the materials will also be discussed. The next section focussed on methods for interrogating these films to determine their selectivity and activity. Interrogation methods to be covered will include electrochemical measurements, optical measurements, quartz crystal microbalance, surface plasmon resonance and other techniques. The final section is dedicated to the functionality of these films, incorporation of biomolecules within these films and their effect on film structure. Species for incorporation will include antibodies, enzymes, proteins and DNA. Discussions on the location, availability, activity and stability of the included species are included. The review finishes with a short consideration of future research possibilities and applications of these films.

Electrochemical and chemiluminescent immunosensors for tumor markers

The determination of serum tumor markers plays an important role in clinical diagnoses for the patients with certain tumor-associated disease. Although many commercial kits have been applied in clinical immunoassays, conventional methods always have some disadvantages, resulting in the need of other new, efficient, and easily automated methods. Immunosensors, considered as a major development in immunochemical field, have attracted considerable attention. With the aim of rapid screening, many immunosensors that are small, semi-automated and portable are being developed. This brief review focuses on the current research of immunosensors for tumor markers based on the electrochemical and chemiluminescent detection with emphasis on recent advances, challenges, and trends. The works on series of novel immunosensors developed for the determination of tumor markers in our group in the last few years are also introduced.

Electron transport in bipyridinium films

Bipyridinium dications are versatile building blocks for the assembly of functional materials. In particular, their reliable electrochemical response has encouraged the design of electroactive films. Diverse and elegant experimental strategies to coat metallic and semiconducting electrodes with bipyridinium compounds have, in fact, emerged over the past two decades. The resulting interfacial assemblies span from a few nanometers to several micrometers in thickness. They incorporate from a single molecular layer to large collections of entangled polymer chains. They transport electrons efficiently from the electrode surface to the film/solution interface and vice versa. Electron self-exchange between and the physical diffusion of the bipyridinium building blocks conspire in defining the charge transport properties of these fascinating electroactive assemblies. Often, the matrix of electron-deficient bipyridinium dications can be exploited to entrap electron-rich analytes. Electrostatic interactions promote the supramolecular association of the guests with the surface-confined host matrix. Furthermore, chromophoric sites can be coupled to the bipyridinium dications to produce photosensitive arrays capable of harvesting light and generating current. Thus, thorough investigations on the fundamental properties of these functional molecule-based materials can lead to promising applications in electroanalysis and solar energy conversion, while contributing to advances in the basic understanding of electron transport in interfacial assemblies.

A hydrogen biosensor made of clay, poly(butylviologen), and hydrogenase sandwiched on a glass carbon electrode

A hydrogen gas (H(2)) biosensor was developed in which hydrogenase (H(2)ase) was immobilized and sandwiched between two layers of a montmorillonite clay and poly(butylviologen) (PBV) mixture on a glass carbon electrode. The immobilized PBV efficiently enhanced the electron transfer among the electrode, H(2)ase, and methyl viologen in solution. Both PBV and methyl viologen acted as the electron carrier in the clay-PBV-H(2)ase modified electrode. The clay-PBV-H(2)ase electrode catalyzed the oxidation of H(2) to protons (H(+)) with the electrons being transferred by viologen groups to the electrode. The activation energy of this process was 38+/-2 kJ/mol at pH 7. The catalytic current of the clay-PBV-H(2)ase electrode increased linearly when exposed to increasing concentrations of H(2) gas. In contrast, this electrode showed no activity when exposed to three combustible compounds, namely, carbon monoxide, methane and methanol. The optimum pH range for the oxidation of H(2) by the clay-PBV-H(2)ase electrode was from 7 to 10. Electron transfer process in the clay-PBV-H(2)ase electrode is discussed.