Amperometric Detection of Glucose Using a Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Complex with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

A Review on Self-Assembly Driven Optoelectronic Properties of Polythiophene-Peptide and Polythiophene-Polymer Conjugates

Polythiophene (PT) is an important conducting polymer for its outstanding optoelectronic properties. Here, we delineate the self-assembly-driven optoelectronic properties of PT-peptide and PT-polymer conjugates, taking examples from recent literature reports. PT-peptide conjugates made by both covalent and noncovalent approaches are discussed. Poly(3-thiophene acetic acid) (P3TAA) covalently coupled with Gly-Gly-His tripeptide, C-protected and deprotected tripeptide H2N-F-F-V-OMe, etc. exhibits self-assembly-driven absorbance, fluorescence, photocurrent, and electronic properties. Noncovalent PT-peptide conjugates produced via ionic, H-bonding, and π-stacking interactions show tunable morphology and optoelectronic properties by varying the composition of a component. PT conjugated with Alzheimer's disease peptide (KLVFFAE, Aβ16-22) shows enhanced photocatalytic water splitting, cationic PT(CPT-I)-perylene bisimide-appended dipeptide (PBI-DY), and anionic PT-perylene diimide-appended cationic peptide (PBI-NH3+) conjugates and exhibits self-assembly-driven enhanced photoswitching and organic mixed electronic and ionic conductivity (OMEIC) properties. In the PT-polymer conjugates, self-assembly-driven optoelectronic properties of covalently produced PT-random copolymers, PT-block copolymers, PT-graft-random copolymers, and PT-graft-block copolymer conjugates are discussed. The HOMO-LUMO levels of hyperbranched polymers are optimized to obtain better power conversion efficiency (PCE) in the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell than in linear polymers, and P3TAA-ran-P3HT (43 mol % P3TAA) conjugated with MAPbI3 perovskite exhibits higher PCE (10%) than that with only P3TAA hole-transporting material. In the ampholytic polythiophene (APT), on increasing pH, the morphology changes from the vesicle to fibrillar network for the dethreading of the PT chain, resulting in a red shift of the absorbance peak, an enormous increase in PL intensity, lowering of the charge transfer resistance, and an induction of Warburg impedance for the release of quencher I- ions. The PT-g-(PDMAEMA-co-PGLU-HEM) graft copolymer self-assembles with Con-A lectin, causing fluorescence quenching, and acts as a sensor for Con-A with a LOD of 57 mg/L. Varying sequences of the block copolymer containing pH-responsive PDMAEMA and temperature-responsive PDEGMEM grafted to the PT backbone shows different self-assembly, optical, electronic, and photocurrent properties depending on the proximity and preponderance of the block sequence on the PT backbone.

Zwitterionic liquid crystalline polythiophene as an antibiofouling biomaterial

To address a key challenge of conjugated polymers in biomedical applications having poor antifouling properties that eventually leads to the failure and reduced lifetime of bioelectronics in the body, herein we describe the design, synthesis, and evaluation of our newly designed multifunctional zwitterionic liquid crystalline polymer PCBTh-C8C10, which is facilely synthesized using oxidative polymerization. A conjugated polythiophene backbone, a multifunctional zwitterionic side chain, and a mesogenic unit are integrated into one segment. By DSC and POM characterization, we verify that the introduction of 3,5-bis(2-octyl-1-dodecyloxy)benzene as a mesogenic unit into the polythiophene backbone allows the formation of the liquid crystalline mesophase of the resulting polymer. We also demonstrate that the PCBTh-C8C10 coated surface exhibits good conductivity, stability, hydrophilicity, and remarkable antibiofouling properties against protein adsorption, cell growth, and bacteria attachment. This new zwitterionic liquid crystalline polymer having good antibiofouling features will be widely recognized as a promising biomaterial that is applicable in implantable organic bioelectronics via inhibiting the foreign body response. A deep understanding of structure-property relationships of zwitterionic conjugated polymers has also been provided in this study.

Research Progress on Conducting Polymer-Based Biomedical Applications

Conducting polymers (CPs) have attracted significant attention in a variety of research fields, particularly in biomedical engineering, because of the ease in controlling their morphology, their high chemical and environmental stability, and their biocompatibility, as well as their unique optical and electrical properties. In particular, the electrical properties of CPs can be simply tuned over the full range from insulator to metal via a doping process, such as chemical, electrochemical, charge injection, and photo-doping. Over the past few decades, remarkable progress has been made in biomedical research including biosensors, tissue engineering, artificial muscles, and drug delivery, as CPs have been utilized as a key component in these fields. In this article, we review CPs from the perspective of biomedical engineering. Specifically, representative biomedical applications of CPs are briefly summarized: biosensors, tissue engineering, artificial muscles, and drug delivery. The motivation for use of and the main function of CPs in these fields above are discussed. Finally, we highlight the technical and scientific challenges regarding electrical conductivity, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, and the loading capacity of biomolecules that are faced by CPs for future work. This is followed by several strategies to overcome these drawbacks.

Non-Covalent Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes for Electrochemical Biosensor Development

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely studied and used for the construction of electrochemical biosensors owing to their small size, cylindrical shape, large surface-to-volume ratio, high conductivity and good biocompatibility. In electrochemical biosensors, CNTs serve a dual purpose: they act as immobilization support for biomolecules as well as provide the necessary electrical conductivity for electrochemical transduction. The ability of a recognition molecule to detect the analyte is highly dependent on the type of immobilization used for the attachment of the biomolecule to the CNT surface, a process also known as biofunctionalization. A variety of biofunctionalization methods have been studied and reported including physical adsorption, covalent cross-linking, polymer encapsulation etc. Each method carries its own advantages and limitations. In this review we provide a comprehensive review of non-covalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes with a variety of biomolecules for the development of electrochemical biosensors. This method of immobilization is increasingly being used in bioelectrode development using enzymes for biosensor and biofuel cell applications.

Enrichment of Metallic Carbon Nanotubes Using a Two-Polymer Extraction Method

The large-scale enrichment of metallic carbon nanotubes is a challenging goal that has proven elusive. Selective dispersion of carbon nanotubes by specifically designed conjugated polymers is effective for isolating semiconducting species, but a comparable system does not exist for isolating metallic species. Here, we report a two-polymer system where semiconducting species are extracted from the raw HiPCO or plasma-torch nanotube starting material using an electron-rich poly(fluorene-co-carbazole) derivative, followed by isolation of the metallic species remaining in the residue using an electron-poor methylated poly(fluorene-co-pyridine) polymer. Characterization of the electronic nature of extracted samples was carried out via a combination of absorption, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as electrical conductivity measurements. Using this methodology, the metallic species in the sample were enriched 2-fold in comparison to the raw starting material. These results indicate that the use of electron-poor polymers is an effective strategy for the enrichment of metallic species.

Light-Induced Conformational Change of Uracil-Anchored Polythiophene-Regulating Thermo-Responsiveness

Tuning the electronic structure of a π-conjugated polymer from the responsive side chains is generally done to get desired optoelectronic properties, and it would be very fruitful when light is used as an exciting tool that can also affect the backbone chain conformation. For this purpose, polythiophene- g-poly-[ N-(6-methyluracilyl)- N, N-dimethylamino chloride]ethyl methacrylate (PTDU) is synthesized. On exposure to diffuse sunlight, the uracil moieties of the grafted chains cause the absorption maximum of PTDU solution to show gradual blue shift of 87 nm and a gradual blue shift of 46 nm in the emission maximum, quenching its fluorescence with time. These effects occur specifically at the absorption range of polythiophene (PT) chromophore on direct exposure of light of different wavelengths, and the optimum wavelength is found to be 420 nm. Impedance study suggests a decrease in charge transfer resistance upon exposure because of conformational change of PTDU. Theoretical study indicates that on exposure to visible light, uracil moieties move toward the backbone to facilitate photoinduced electron transfer between the PT and the uracil, attributing to the variation in optoelectronic properties. Morphological and light-scattering studies exhibit a decrease in particle size because of coiling of the PT backbone and squeezing of the grafted chain on light exposure. The transparent orange-colored PTDU solution becomes hazy with a hike in emission intensity on addition of sodium halides and becomes reversibly transparent or hazy on heating or cooling. The screening of cationic centers of PTDU by varying halide anion concentration tunes the phase transition temperature. Thus, the light-induced variation in the backbone conformation is responsible for tuning the optoelectronic properties and regulates the thermos-responsiveness of the PTDU solution in the presence of halide ions.

Influence of Hofmeister I- on Tuning Optoelectronic Properties of Ampholytic Polythiophene by Varying pH and Conjugating with RNA

A significant tuning of optoelectronic properties of polythiophene (PT) chains due to Hofmeister iodide (I^-) ion is demonstrated in ampholytic polythiophene [polythiophene-g-poly{(N,N,N-trimethylamino iodide)ethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid}, APT] at different pHs. In acidic medium, the absorption and emission signals of PT chromophore exhibit appreciable blue shift in the presence of I^- as counteranion only. The cooperative effect of undissociated -COOH and quaternary ammonium groups immobilize I^- near the apolar PT chain causing threading of grafted chains and hence twisting of the backbone attributing to the blue shift. As medium pH is increased, dethreading of the PT backbone occurs due to ionization of -COOH group, releasing quencher iodide ions from the vicinity of the PT chains resulting in a red shift in absorption and a sharp hike in fluorescence intensity (390 times) for an increase of excitons lifetime. With an increase of pH, morphology changes from a multivesicular aggregate with vacuoles to smaller size vesicles and finally to nanofibrillar network structure. Dethreading is also found when APT interacts with RNA showing a significant hike of fluorescence (22 times) for displacing iodide ions forming a nanofibrillar network morphology. Threading and dethreading also affect the resistance, capacitance, and Warburg impedance values of APT. Molecular dynamics simulation of a model APT chain in a water box supports the threading at lower pH where the iodide ions pose nearer to the PT chain than that at higher pH causing dethreading. So the influence of Hofmeister I^- ion is established for tuning the optoelectronic properties of a novel PT based polyampholyte by changing pH or by conjugating with RNA.

Recent developments in the selective dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes using conjugated polymers

A significant barrier that impedes the commercialization of single-walled carbon nanotube-related applications is that all known synthetic methods produce a complicated mixture of semiconducting and metallic species. For device applications, pure semiconducting or pure metallic samples are desirable. Thus far, the purification methods that have been identified are capable of separating individual carbon nanotube species on a microgram scale, but purification on a large scale has remained elusive. The use of conjugated polymers to selectively disperse specific nanotube species is a promising approach to resolve the scalability issue, but a comprehensive understanding of the selectivity mechanism has not yet been achieved. Here, several of the trends reported in the literature are outlined to further the rational design of conjugated polymers for nanotube sorting. Numerous variables influence dispersion selectivity, including polymer structure and molecular weight, nanotube type used, sonication temperature, amount of polymer relative to nanotube, and solvent. We have organized these seemingly disparate parameters into two simple categories: conjugated polymer structure, and dispersion preparation conditions. Most importantly, we consider the mechanistic arguments that have been proposed, and provide additional insights based on the observations in the literature.

Polymerization and biosensor application of water soluble peptide-SNS type monomer conjugates

A simple and efficient approach for the preparation of a biosensing platform was developed based on newly designed peptide-SNS type monomer conjugates. The approach involves the electrochemical polymerization of the peptide-SNS type monomer on the electrode surface. To synthesize the peptide bearing monomers, the SNS-type monomer having a carboxylic acid functional group was anchored to the C-terminal of the peptide by solid phase peptide synthesis via coupling reagents. Utilization of peptides to increase the solubility of the monomers was first investigated in this report. The obtained monomers, soluble in water, were fully characterized by spectral analyses and utilized as matrices for biomolecule attachment. Polymerization of monomers in water has the potential to provide an alternative process for the electrochemical preparation of the polymers in aqueous media, without using any organic solvent. Under the optimized conditions, the biosensor responded to the target analyte, glucose, in a strikingly selective and sensitive manner, and showed promising feasibility for the quantitative analysis of glucose in beverages.

Quaternized Polymer-Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Scaffolds for a Chemiresistive Glucose Sensor

A chemiresistive glucose sensor based on poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composites was reported. To fabricate this glucose sensor, a glass substrate containing gold electrodes was treated with 3-bromopropyltrichlorosilane to obtain a covalent bonding between the polymer-SWCNT composite and the glass substrate. Some of the pyridyl moieties in P4VP react with the surface, and the remainders were quaternized using 2-bromoethanol to achieve highly charged hydrophilic surface with improved biocompatibility with enzyme molecules. The resulting biomimetic surface was functionalized with glucose oxidase (GOx) by electrostatic assembly with the quaternized P4VP-SWCNT composite. This material displays a decrease in electrical resistance as a result of enzymatically liberated hydrogen peroxide produced in response to glucose, which increases the p-doping of the SWCNT. The sensor exhibited high selectivity for glucose and showed an instant response (within 3 s) to glucose.

π-Conjugated polymers with pendant coumarins: design, synthesis, characterization, and interactions with carbon nanotubes

A series of new fluorene-based π-conjugated polymers having coumarin derivatives as part of dendritic side chains were designed and prepared using the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. A new coumarin derivative bearing a heptyl side chain for solubility was utilized to ensure solubility of the final polymers. It was found that fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the coumrains to the polyfluorene backbone was efficient, especially for the polymers decorated with lower-generation dendrons. Each of the polymers was found to interact strongly with the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in THF, and their ability to selectively disperse specific SWNT chiralities was investigated. Photoluminescence studies revealed that the strong polymer emission is efficiently quenched in the corresponding supramolecular complexes with SWNTs. This high quenching efficiency indicates that the coumarin–polymer FRET system can be supramolecularly bound to the surface of (SWNTs to produce an energy transfer system in which the energy absorbed by the donor coumarin chromophores is channeled to the SWNTs.

Selective dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes with electron-rich fluorene-based copolymers

We report novel π-conjugated copolymers containing electron-donating dithiafulvene (DTF) and π-extended tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) repeat units for selective dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Supramolecular interactions of fluorene-based copolymers containing 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene and phenazine units with SWNTs

Interaction of an electron-rich ProDOT-containing conjugated polymer and an electron poor phenazine-containing conjugated polymer with single-walled carbon nanotubes exhibits some selectivity for metallic vs. semiconducting structures.

Non-covalent polymer wrapping of carbon nanotubes and the role of wrapped polymers as functional dispersants

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been recognized as a promising material in a wide range of applications from biotechnology to energy-related devices. However, the poor solubility in aqueous and organic solvents hindered the applications of CNTs. As studies have progressed, the methodology for CNT dispersion was established. In this methodology, the key issue is to covalently or non-covalently functionalize the surfaces of the CNTs with a dispersant. Among the various types of dispersions, polymer wrapping through non-covalent interactions is attractive in terms of the stability and homogeneity of the functionalization. Recently, by taking advantage of their stability, the wrapped-polymers have been utilized to support and/or reinforce the unique functionality of the CNTs, leading to the development of high-performance devices. In this review, various polymer wrapping approaches, together with the applications of the polymer-wrapped CNTs, are summarized.

Electronically type-sorted carbon nanotube-based electrochemical biosensors with glucose oxidase and dehydrogenase

An electrochemical enzyme biosensor with electronically type-sorted (metallic and semiconducting) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) for use in aqueous media is presented. This research investigates how the electronic types of SWNTs influence the amperometric response of enzyme biosensors. To conduct a clear evaluation, a simple layer-by-layer process based on a plasma-polymerized nano thin film (PPF) was adopted because a PPF is an inactive matrix that can form a well-defined nanostructure composed of SWNTs and enzyme. For a biosensor with the glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme in the presence of oxygen, the response of a metallic SWNT-GOx electrode was 2 times larger than that of a semiconducting SWNT-GOx electrode. In contrast, in the absence of oxygen, the response of the semiconducting SWNT-GOx electrode was retained, whereas that of the metallic SWNT-GOx electrode was significantly reduced. This indicates that direct electron transfer occurred with the semiconducting SWNT-GOx electrode, whereas the metallic SWNT-GOx electrode was dominated by a hydrogen peroxide pathway caused by an enzymatic reaction. For a biosensor with the glucose dehydrogenase (GDH; oxygen-independent catalysis) enzyme, the response of the semiconducting SWNT-GDH electrode was 4 times larger than that of the metallic SWNT-GDH electrode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to show that the semiconducting SWNT network has less resistance for electron transfer than the metallic SWNT network. Therefore, it was concluded that semiconducting SWNTs are more suitable than metallic SWNTs for electrochemical enzyme biosensors in terms of direct electron transfer as a detection mechanism. This study makes a valuable contribution toward the development of electrochemical biosensors that employ sorted SWNTs and various enzymes.

Cationic polythiophene for specific detection of cyanide ions in water using fluorometric technique

A new fluorometric cyanide sensor using cationic polythiophene exhibits high sensitivity, selectivity with a low detection limit (4.4 ppb) in water.

Water soluble polythiophenes: preparation and applications

Different synthetic procedures for water soluble polythiophenes and their applications in sensing, detection of biomolecules and optoelectronic devices are discussed.

Selective and reversible noncovalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes by a pH-responsive vinylogous tetrathiafulvalene-fluorene copolymer

A vinylogous tetrathiafulvalene (TTFV) monomer was prepared and copolymerized with fluorene to give a conformationally switchable conjugated copolymer. This copolymer was shown to undergo a conformational change upon protonation with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). When mixed with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), this TTFV-fluorene copolymer exhibited strong interactions with the SWNT surface, leading to stable, concentrated nanotube dispersions in toluene. Photoluminescence excitation mapping indicated that the copolymer selectively disperses low-diameter SWNTs, as would be expected from its ability to form a tightly coiled conformation on the nanotube surface. Addition of TFA to the copolymer-SWNT dispersion resulted in a rapid conformational change and desorption of the polymer from the SWNT surface, resulting in precipitation of pure SWNTs that were completely free of polymer. Importantly, the nanotubes isolated after dispersion and release by the TTFV-fluorene copolymer were more pure than the original SWNTs that were initially dispersed.

Endowing carbon nanotubes with biological and biomedical properties by chemical modifications

The scope of nanotechnology is gaining importance in biology and medicine. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a promising tool due to their unique properties, high specific surface area, and capacity to cross biological barriers. These properties offer a variety of opportunities for applications in nanomedicine, such as diagnosis, disease treatment, imaging, and tissue engineering. Nevertheless, pristine CNTs are insoluble in water and in most organic solvents; thereby functionalization of their surface is necessary to increase biocompatibility. Derivatization of CNTs also gives the possibility to conjugate different biological and bioactive molecules including drugs, proteins, and targeting ligands. This review focuses on the chemical modifications of CNTs that have been developed to impart specific properties for biological and medical purposes. Biomolecules can be covalently grafted or non-covalently adsorbed on the nanotube surface. In addition, the inner core of CNTs can be exploited to encapsulate drugs, nanoparticles, or radioactive elements.

Enrichment of Large-Diameter Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) with Metallo-Octaethylporphyrins

We report here a detailed experimental investigation on noncovalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with four different metallo-octaethylporphyrins (MOEPs). It has been found that the identity of the center metal of MOEP strongly influences the solubilization of SWNTs. MnOEPs and ZnOEPs successfully extracted SWNTs in methanol, as confirmed by absorption spectroscopy, while CoOEPs and CuOEPs were not able to extract SWNTs at all. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies revealed that large SWNTs bundles could be exfoliated into either individual SWNTs or very small bundles by complexation with ZnOEP molecules. As for enrichment of SWNTs, ZnOEPs and MnOEPs show similar diameter discrimination ability toward 76-CoMoCAT, providing the extracted SWNTs with relatively large diameters.

Insight into the effects of graphene oxide sheets on the conformation and activity of glucose oxidase: towards developing a nanomaterial-based protein conformation assay

Protein conformation associates with particular properties of proteins and relates to protein-mediated diseases. Detailed elucidation of secondary and tertiary formation, stability, and the structural and dynamic properties of proteins has been one of the main topics studied in chemistry and biology. In this work, the conformation changes in glucose oxidase (GOx) induced by the graphene oxide (GO) sheets were studied in detail by various spectroscopic techniques including ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The results indicated that GOx underwent substantial conformation changes after assembling on the surface of GO. The interaction of GOx with GO could induce the exposure of the FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) moiety to solvent and transfer tryptophan (Trp) residues to a more hydrophobic environment. The calculation from CD spectra showed that GO could induce the conversion of α-helix to β-sheet structures, even unfolding of the protein. These alterations in the conformation of GOx resulted in a significant decrease in the catalytic activity of the enzyme in glucose oxidation. The possible reasons for these conformation changes in GOx are also discussed. This work not only provides insight into the interaction between atomically flat graphitic structures and various biological systems but also creates a framework for analyzing the biosafety of nanomaterials in terms of the biological behavior of biomacromolecules. The results obtained here can direct the further applications of the nanomaterials.

Electrochemical activity of glucose oxidase on a poly(ionic liquid)-Au nanoparticle composite

Glucose oxidase (GOx) adsorbed on an ionic liquid-derived polymer containing internally organized columns of Au nanoparticles exhibits direct electron transfer and bioelectrocatalytic properties towards the oxidation of glucose. The cationic poly(ionic liquid) provides an ideal substrate for the electrostatic immobilization of GOx. The encapsulated Au nanoparticles serve to both promote the direct electron transfer with the recessed enzyme redox centers and impart electronic conduction to the composite, allowing it to function as an electrode for electrochemical detection.