Electron Acceptors Co-Regulated Self-Powered Photoelectrochemical Strategy and Its Application for Circulating Tumor Nucleic Acid Detection Coupled with Recombinase Polymerase Amplification

Biosensor working in a self-powered mode has been widely concerned because it produces a signal when the bias potential is 0 V. However, the self-powered mode is used only when the materials have self-powered properties. Conversion of non-self-powered to self-powered through molecular regulation can solve this problem effectively. Here, we fabricated a self-powered photoelectrochemical mode based on co-regulation of electron acceptors methylene blue (MB) and p-nitrophenol (p-NP). AuNPs@ZnSe nanosheet-modified gold electrode (AuNPs@ZnSeNSs/GE) gave a small photocurrent at 0 V. In the presence of MB and p-NP, AuNPs@ZnSeNSs/GE gave the strongest photocurrent at 0 V. Accordingly, an electron acceptor co-regulated self-powered photoelectrochemical assay was fabricated. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, this assay was applied for prostate cancer circulating tumor nucleic acid biomarker, KLK2 and PCA3, detection combined with in situ recombinase polymerase amplification strategy. This assay generated a strong photocurrent and was sensitive to the variation of KLK2 and PCA3 concentration. The limits of detection were 30 and 32 aM, respectively. We anticipate this electron acceptor co-regulated self-powered photoelectrochemical mode to pave a new way for the development of self-powered sensing.

ZnSe/CdSe core–shell nanoribbon arrays for photocatalytic applications

Core–shell structures can improve the properties of materials due to their special structure and have attracted considerable attention for their applications in many fields.

Cu-Deficient plasmonic Cu2−xS nanocrystals induced tunable photocatalytic activities

Cu-Deficient plasmonic Cu_2−xS nanocrystals with tunable photocatalytic activities were synthesized and investigated.