Rationally designed naphthyl substituted amine functionalized ionic liquid platform for covalent immobilization and direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin

Disposable biosensor based on ionic liquid, carbon nanofiber and poly(glutamic acid) for tyramine determination

In this study, an electrochemical biosensor based on carbon nanofibers (CNF), ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (IL), poly(glutamic acid) (PGA) and tyrosinase (Tyr) modified screen printed carbon electrode (SPE) was constructed for tyramine determination. Optimum experimental parameters such as CNF and IL amount, polymerization conditions of glutamic acid, enzyme loading, pH of test solution and operating potential were explored. The construction steps of the Tyr/PGA/CNF-IL/SPE were pursued by scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The Tyr/PGA/CNF-IL/SPE biosensor exhibited linear response to tyramine in the range of 2.0 × 10-7 - 4.8 × 10-5 M with a low detection limit of 9.1 × 10-8 M and sensitivity of 302.6 μA mM-1. The other advantages of Tyr/PGA/CNF-IL/SPE include its high reproducibility, good stability and anti-interference ability. The presented biosensor was also applied for tyramine determination in malt drink and pickle juice samples and mean analytical recoveries of spiked tyramine were calculated as 100.6% and 100.4% respectively.

Recent Developments in the Design and Fabrication of Electrochemical Biosensors Using Functional Materials and Molecules

Electrochemical biosensors are superior technologies that are used to detect or sense biologically and environmentally significant analytes in a laboratory environment, or even in the form of portable handheld or wearable electronics. Recently, imprinted and implantable biosensors are emerging as point-of-care devices, which monitor the target analytes in a continuous environment and alert the intended users to anomalies. The stability and performance of the developed biosensor depend on the nature and properties of the electrode material or the platform on which the biosensor is constructed. Therefore, the biosensor platform plays an integral role in the effectiveness of the developed biosensor. Enormous effort has been dedicated to the rational design of the electrode material and to fabrication strategies for improving the performance of developed biosensors. Every year, in the search for multifarious electrode materials, thousands of new biosensor platforms are reported. Moreover, in order to construct an effectual biosensor, the researcher should familiarize themself with the sensible strategies behind electrode fabrication. Thus, we intend to shed light on various strategies and methodologies utilized in the design and fabrication of electrochemical biosensors that facilitate sensitive and selective detection of significant analytes. Furthermore, this review highlights the advantages of various electrode materials and the correlation between immobilized biomolecules and modified surfaces.

Direct electrochemistry of covalently immobilized hemoglobin on a naphthylimidazolium butyric acid ionic liquid/MWCNT matrix

Monitoring the concentration levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is significant in both clinical and industrial applications. Herein, we develop a facile biosensor for the detection of H₂O₂ based on direct electron transfer of hemoglobin (Hb), which was covalently immobilized on a hydrophobic naphthylimidazolium butyric acid ionic liquid (NIBA-IL) over a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to obtain an Hb/NIBA-IL/MWCNT/GCE. Highly water-soluble Hb protein was firmly immobilized on NIBA-IL via stable amide bonding between the free NH₂ groups of Hb and COOH groups of NIBA-IL via EDC/NHS coupling. Thus fabricated biosensor showed a well resolved redox peak with a cathodic peak potential (E_pc) at -0.35 V and anodic peak potential (E_pa) at -0.29 V with a formal potential (E°') of -0.32 V, which corresponds to the deeply buried Fe^III/Fe^II redox centre of Hb, thereby direct electrochemistry of Hb was established. Further, the modified electrode demonstrated very good electrocatalytic activity towards H₂O₂ reduction and showed a wide linear range of detection from 0.01 to 6.3 mM with a limit of detection and sensitivity of 3.2 μM and 111 μA mM^-1 cm^-2, respectively. Moreover, the developed biosensor displayed high operational stability under dynamic conditions as well as during continuous potential cycles and showed reliable reproducibility. The superior performance of the fabricated biosensor is attributed to the effective covalent immobilization of Hb on the newly developed highly conducting and biocompatible NIBA-IL/MWCNT/GCE platform.

Facile strategy for immobilizing horseradish peroxidase on a novel acetate functionalized ionic liquid/MWCNT matrix for electrochemical biosensing

Facile yet simple platforms for the immobilization of biomolecules have always been a substantial requirement for the fabrication of proficient biosensors. In this study, we report a naphthyl substituted acetate functionalized ionic liquid (NpAc-IL) for the covalent anchoring of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), using which the direct electrochemistry of HRP was successfully accomplished and a H₂O₂ biosensor was developed. The naphthyl substitution on the NpAc-IL was utilized for the π-π stacking with the MWCNT modified GCE and the terminal -OCH₃ group of NpAc-IL was used for the covalent attachment with the free -NH₂ group of HRP via amide bond formation. High conducting nature of the newly designed ionic liquid (NpAc-IL), facilitated an improved communication with the deeply buried redox centre of the HRP, while the covalent bonding provided enhanced stability to the fabricated biosensor by stably holding the water soluble HRP enzyme on the electrode surface. Furthermore, incorporation of MWCNT on the sensor setup synergistically enhanced the sensitivity of the developed biosensor. Under optimized conditions, the fabricated biosensor showed an enhanced electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ in the range of 0.01 to 2.07 mM with a limit of detection and sensitivity of 2.7 μM and 55.98 μA mM^-1 cm^-2 respectively. Further, the proposed biosensor was utilized for the sensing of H₂O₂ spiked in real samples. Moreover, the newly fabricated biosensor demonstrated excellent stability with improved sensitivity and selectivity towards H₂O₂ reduction. The superior analytical characteristics are attributed to the facile fabrication strategy using this newly developed acetate functionalized ionic liquid platform.

Gold Nanoparticle-Redox Ionic Liquid based Nanoconjugated Matrix as a Novel Multifunctional Biosensing Interface

Creation of interfaces with a prudent design for the immobilization of biomolecules is substantial in the construction of biosensors for real-time monitoring. Herein, an adept biosensing interface was developed using a nanoconjugated matrix and has been employed toward the electrochemical determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The anionic gold nanoparticle (AuNP) was electrostatically tethered to cationic redox ionic liquid (IL), to which the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme was covalently immobilized to form a nanobioconjugate. The anthracene-substituted, aldehyde-functionalized redox IL (CHO-AIL) was judiciously designed with the (i) imidazolium cation for electrostatic interaction with AuNPs, (ii) anthracene moiety to mediate the electron transfer, and (iii) free aldehydic group for covalent bonding with a free amine group of the enzyme. Thus, the water-soluble HRP is effectively bonded to the CHO-AIL on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via imine bond formation, which resulted in the formation of the HRP-CHO-AIL/GCE. Electrochemical investigations on the HRP-CHO-AIL/GCE reveal highly stable and distinct redox peaks for the anthracene/anthracenium couple at a formal potential (E°') of -0.47 V. Electrostatic tethering of anionic AuNPs to the HRP-CHO-AIL promotes the electron transfer process in the HRP-CHO-AIL/AuNPs/GCE, as observed by the reduction in the formal potential to -0.42 V along with the enhancement in peak currents. The HRP-CHO-AIL/AuNPs/GCE has been explored toward the electrocatalytic detection of H₂O₂, and the modified electrode demonstrated a linear response toward H₂O₂ in the concentration range of 0.02-2.77 mM with a detection limit of 3.7 μM. The developed biosensor ascertained predominant selectivity and sensitivity in addition to remarkable stability and reproducibility, corroborating the suitableness of the platform for the effectual biosensing of H₂O₂. The eminent performance realized with our biosensor setup is ascribed to the multifunctional efficacy of this newly designed nanobioconjugate.