A third-generation H2O2 biosensor based on horseradish peroxidase-labeled Au nanoparticles self-assembled to hollow porous polymeric nanopheres

A novel third-generation biosensor for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was developed by self-assembling gold nanoparticles to hollow porous thiol-functionalized poly(divinylbenzene-co-acrylic acid) (DVB-co-AA) nanospheres. At first, a cleaned gold electrode was immersed in hollow porous thiol-functionalized poly(DVB-co-AA) nanosphere latex to assemble the nanospheres, then gold nanoparticles were chemisorbed onto the thiol groups of the nanospheres. Finally, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was immobilized on the surface of the gold nanoparticles. The immobilized horseradish peroxidase exhibited direct electrochemical behavior toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. The resulting biosensor showed a wide linear range of 1.0 microM-8.0mM and a detection limit of 0.5 microM estimated at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Moreover, the studied biosensor exhibited high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability.     

Amperometric and impedimetric characterization of a glutamate biosensor based on Nafion and a methyl viologen modified glassy carbon electrode

An electrochemical biosensor based on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode chemically modified with the perfluorinated cation-exchange polymer Nafion and methyl viologen (MV) is described. The enzyme was immobilized by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA), methyl viologen and Nafion. Operating variables such as the enzyme/BSA ratio, cross-linking time in glutaraldehyde vapor, methyl viologen and Nafion percentages were investigated with regard to their influence on the biosensor sensitivity by using glucose oxidase as the enzyme model due to its high stability and low cost. The glutamate biosensor was elaborated by using optimized parameters and its electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, amperometry and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The glutamate biosensor shows a detection limit of 20 microM and a linear range extended to 0.75 mM. Its selectivity was tested with 15 different amino acids, each with a concentration of 20 microM, 25 microM acetaminophen, 20 microM uric acid and 200 microM ascorbic acid. No amperometric response was observed for the interfering species. This good selectivity allows glutamate detection in biological media without previous separation of the analyte.     

Electrochemically deposited chitosan hydrogel for horseradish peroxidase immobilization through gold nanoparticles self-assembly

A new strategy for immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been presented by self-assembling gold nanoparticles on chitosan hydrogel modified Au electrode. From a mildly acidic chitosan solution, a chitosan film is electrochemically deposited on Au electrode surface via a negative voltage bias. This process is accompanied by the hydrogen evolution reaction, and the released hydrogen gas made the deposited chitosan film with porous structure, which facilitates the assembly of gold nanoparticles and HRP. The resulting substrates were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The immobilized HRP displayed an excellent catalytic property to the reduction of H2O2 in the presence of methylene blue mediator. The resulting biosensor (HRP-modified electrode) showed a wide dynamic range of 8.0 microM-15 mM H2O2, and the linear ranges were 8.0 microM-0.12 mM and 0.50-12 mM, with a detection limit of 2.4 microM estimated at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Moreover, the biosensor remained about 85% of its original sensitivity after four weeks' storage.     

DNA electrochemical biosensor based on thionine-graphene nanocomposite

A novel protocol for development of DNA electrochemical biosensor based on thionine-graphene nanocomposite modified gold electrode was presented. The thionine-graphene nanocomposite layer with highly conductive property was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. An amino-substituted oligonucleotide probe was covalently grafted onto the surface of the thionine-graphene nanocomposite by the cross-linker glutaraldehyde. The hybridization reaction on the modified electrode was monitored by differential pulse voltammetry analysis using an electroactive intercalator daunomycin as the indicator. Under optimum conditions, the proposed biosensor exhibited high sensitivity and low detection limit for detecting complementary oligonucleotide. The complementary oligonucleotide could be quantified in a wide range of 1.0 × 10(-12) to 1.0 × 10(-7)M with a good linearity (R(2)=0.9976) and a low detection limit of 1.26 × 10(-13)M (S/N=3). In addition, the biosensor was highly selective to discriminate one-base or two-base mismatched sequences.     

Highly selective amperometric glucose microdevice derived from diffusion layer gap electrode

Although most of enzyme catalytic reactions are specific, the amperometric detection of the enzymatic reaction products is largely nonselective. How to improve the detection selectivity of the enzyme-based electrochemical biosensors has to be considered in the sensor fabrication procedures. Herein, a highly selective amperometric glucose biosensor based on the concept of diffusion layer gap electrode pair which we previously proposed was designed. In this biosensor, a gold tube coated with a conductive layer of glucose oxidase/Nafion/graphite was used to create an interference-free region in its diffusion layer by electrochemically oxidizing the interfering electroactive species at proper potentials. A Pt probe electrode was located in this diffusion layer of the tube electrode to selectively detect hydrogen peroxide generated from the enzyme catalytic oxidation of glucose in the presence of oxygen in the solution. In practical performance of the microdevice, parameters influencing the interference-removing efficiency, including the tip-tube opening distance, the tube electrode potential and the electrolyzing time had been investigated systematically. Results showed that glucose detection free from interferents could be achieved at the electrolyzing time of 30s, the tip-tube opening distance of 3mm and the tube electrode potential of 0.4V. The electrochemical response showed linear dependence on the concentration of glucose in the range of 1 x 10(-5) to 4 x 10(-3) M (the correlation coefficient: 0.9936, without interferents; 0.9995, with interferents). In addition, the effectiveness of this device was confirmed by numerical simulation using a model system of a solution containing interferents. The simulated results showed good agreement with the experimental data.     

Electrochemical DNA biosensor for bovine papillomavirus detection using polymeric film on screen-printed electrode

A new electrochemical DNA biosensor for bovine papillomavirus (BPV) detection that was based on screen-printed electrodes was comprehensively studied by electrochemical methods of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). A BPV probe was immobilised on a working electrode (gold) modified with a polymeric film of poly-L-lysine (PLL) and chitosan. The experimental design was carried out to evaluate the influence of polymers, probe concentration (BPV probe) and immobilisation time on the electrochemical reduction of methylene blue (MB). The polymer poly-L-lysine (PLL), a probe concentration of 1μM and an immobilisation time of 60min showed the best result for the BPV probe immobilisation. With the hybridisation of a complementary target sequence (BPV target), the electrochemical signal decreased compared to a BPV probe immobilised on the modified PLL-gold electrode. Viral DNA that was extracted from cattle with papillomatosis also showed a decrease in the MB electrochemical reduction, which suggested that the decreased electrochemical signal corresponded to a bovine papillomavirus infection. The hybridisation specificity experiments further indicated that the biosensor could discriminate the complementary sequence from the non-complementary sequence. Thus, the results showed that the development of analytical devices, such as a biosensor, could assist in the rapid and efficient detection of bovine papillomavirus DNA and help in the prevention and treatment of papillomatosis in cattle.     

In situ synthesis of palladium nanoparticle-graphene nanohybrids and their application in nonenzymatic glucose biosensors

A nonenzymatic electrochemical biosensor was developed for the detection of glucose based on an electrode modified with palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs)-functioned graphene (nafion-graphene). The palladium nanoparticle-graphene nanohybrids were synthesized using an in situ reduction process. Nafion-graphene was first assembled onto an electrode to chemically adsorb Pd(2+). And Pd(2+) was subsequently reduced by hydrazine hydrate to form PdNPs in situ. Such a PdNPs-graphene nanohybrids-based electrode shows a very high electrochemical activity for electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium. The proposed biosensor can be applied to the quantification of glucose with a wide linear range covering from 10 μM to 5mM (R=0.998) with a low detection limit of 1 μM. The experiment results also showed that the sensor exhibits good reproducibility and long-term stability, as well as high selectivity with no interference from other potential competing species.     

An amperometric biosensor based on a composite of single-walled carbon nanotubes, plasma-polymerized thin film, and an enzyme

We report on an amperometric biosensor that is based on a nanocomposite of carbon nanotubes (CNT), a nano-thin plasma-polymerized film (PPF), and glucose oxidase (GOx) as an enzyme model. A mixture of the GOx and a CNT film is sandwiched with 10-nm-thick acetonitrile PPFs. Under PPF layer was deposited onto a sputtered gold electrode. To facilitate the electrochemical communication between the CNT layer and GOx, CNT was treated with nitrogen or oxygen plasma. The resulting device showed that the oxidizing current response due to enzymatic reaction was 4-16-fold larger than that with only CNT or PPF, showing that the PPF and/or plasma process is an enzyme-friendly platform for designing electrochemical communication from the reaction center of GOx to the electrode via CNTs. The optimized glucose biosensor showed high sensitivity (sensitivity of 42 microA mM(-1)cm(-2), correlation coefficient of 0.992, linear response range of 0.025-2.2 mM, and a detection limit of 6 microM at signal/noise ratio of 3, +0.8 V versus Ag/AgCl), high selectivity (almost no interference by 0.5 mM ascorbic acid) for glucose quantification, and rapid response (<4 s to reach 95% of maximum response). Additionally, the devices showed a small and stable background current (0.35+/-0.013 microA) compared with the glucose response (ca. 10 microA at 10mM glucose) and suitable reproducibility from sample-to-sample (<3%, n=4).     

Studies of the binding and signaling of surface-immobilized periplasmic glucose receptors on gold nanoparticles: a glucose biosensor application

Genetically engineered periplasmic glucose receptors as biomolecular recognition elements on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have allowed our laboratory to develop a sensitive and reagentless electrochemical glucose biosensor. The receptors were immobilized on AuNPs by a direct sulfur-gold bond through a cysteine residue that was engineered in position 1 on the protein sequence. The study of the attachment of genetically engineered and wild-type proteins binding to the AuNPs was first carried out in colloidal gold solutions. These constructs were studied and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, particle size distribution, and zeta potential. We show that the genetically engineered cysteine is important for the immobilization of the protein to the AuNPs. Fabrication of the novel electrochemical biosensor for the detection of glucose used these receptor-coated AuNPs. The sensor showed selective detection of glucose in the micromolar concentration range, with a detection limit of 0.18 microM.     

A glucose biosensor based on chitosan-glucose oxidase-gold nanoparticles biocomposite formed by one-step electrodeposition

An amperometric biosensor for the quantitative measurement of glucose is reported. The biosensor is based on a biocomposite that is homogeneous and easily prepared. This biocomposite is made of chitosan hydrogel, glucose oxidase, and gold nanoparticles by a direct and facile electrochemical deposition method under enzyme-friendly conditions. The resulting biocomposite provided a shelter for the enzyme to retain its bioactivity at considerably extreme conditions, and the decorated gold nanoparticles in the biocomposite offer excellent affinity to enzyme. The biosensor exhibited a rapid response (within 7s) and a linear calibration range from 5.0 microM to 2.4 mM with a detection limit of 2.7 microM for the detection of glucose. The combination of gold nanoparticles affinity and the promising feature of the biocomposite with the onestep nonmanual technique favor the sensitive determination of glucose with improved analytical capabilities.     

Covalent immobilization of cholesterol oxidase on self-assembled gold nanoparticles for highly sensitive amperometric detection of cholesterol in real samples

A novel scheme for the fabrication of gold nanoparticle modified cholesterol oxidase based bioelectrode is presented and its application potential for cholesterol biosensor is investigated. The fabrication procedure is based on the deposition of gold nanoparticles on the 1,6-hexanedithiol modified gold electrode, functionalization of the surface of deposited gold nanoparticles with carboxyl groups using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and then covalent immobilization of cholesterol oxidase on the surface of gold nanoparticle film using the N-ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl carbodimide) and N-hydroxysuccinimide ligand chemistry. The assembly process of the bioelectrode is investigated using atomic force microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The gold nanoparticle film on the electrode surface provided an environment for the enhanced electrocatalytic activities and thus resulted in enhanced analytical response. The resulting bioelectrode is further applied to the amperometric detection of cholesterol and exhibited a linear response to cholesterol in the range of 0.04-0.22 mM with a detection limit of 34.6 μM, apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)(app)) of 0.062 mM and a high sensitivity of 9.02 μA mM(-1). The fabricated bioelectrode is successfully used for the selective determination of cholesterol in human serum samples.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on multilayer films via layer-by-layer self-assembly of multi-wall carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles and glucose oxidase on the Pt electrode

A novel amperometric glucose biosensor based on the nine layers of multilayer films composed of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), gold nanoparticles (GNp) and glucose oxidase (GOD) was developed for the specific detection of glucose. MWCNTs were chemically modified with the H₂SO₄–HNO₃ pretreatment to introduce carboxyl groups which were used to interact with the amino groups of poly(allylamine) (PAA) and cysteamine via 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide cross-linking reaction, respectively. A cleaned Pt electrode was immersed in PAA, MWCNTs, cysteamine and GNp, respectively, followed by the adsorption of GOD, assembling the one layer of multilayer films on the surface of Pt electrode (GOD/GNp/MWCNTs/Pt electrode). Repeating the above process could assemble different layers of multilayer films on the Pt electrode. PBS washing was applied at the end of each assembly deposition for dissociating the weak adsorption. Film assembling and characterization were studied by transmission electron microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance, and properties of the resulting glucose biosensors were measured by electrochemical measurements. The marked electrocatalytic activity of Pt electrode based on multilayer films toward H₂O₂ produced during GOD enzymatic reactions with glucose permitted effective low-potential amperometric measurement of glucose. Taking the sensitivity and selectivity into consideration, the applied potential of 0.35 V versus Ag/AgCl was chosen for the oxidation detection of H₂O₂ in this work. Among the resulting glucose biosensors, the biosensor based on nine layers of multilayer films was best. It showed a wide linear range of 0.1–10 mM glucose, with a remarkable sensitivity of 2.527 μA/mM, a detection limit of 6.7 μM estimated at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and fast response time (within 7 s). Moreover, it exhibited good reproducibility, long-term stability and the negligible interferences of ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen. The study can provide a feasible approach on developing new kinds of oxidase-based amperometric biosensors, and can be used as an illustration for constructing various hybrid structures.     

Electrochemical immunoanalysis of cardiac myoglobin

Methods of myoglobin determination based on electrochemical analysis by means of analysis of electrochemical parameters of modified electrodes have been proposed. The method of direct detection is based on interaction of myoglobin with anti-myoglobin with subsequent electrochemical registration of this hemoprotein. The electrode surface was modified by a membrane-like synthetic didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), gold nanoparticles and antibodies to human cardiac myoglobin the electrochemical reduction of myoglobin heme was registered provided that the antigen (myoglobin) was present in the samples. The reaction of myoglobin binding to antibodies immobilized on the electrode surface was also registered using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The study of electro analytical characteristics revealed high specificity and sensitivity of the developed method. The biosensor was characterized by low detection limit and a high working range of the detected concentrations from 17.8 to 1780 ng/ml (from 1 to 100 nM). The method of myoglobin determination based on a signal of gold nanoparticles has also been proposed. The signal was detected with stripping voltammetry. There was a change in the cathodic peak area and the peak height of gold oxide reduction for the electrodes with antibodies and the electrodes with the antibody-myoglobin complex.     

Capacitive detection of glucose using molecularly imprinted polymers

A novel glucose biosensor based on capacitive detection has been developed using molecularly imprinted polymers. The sensitive layer was prepared by electropolymerization of o-phenylenediamine on a gold electrode in the presence of the template (glucose). Cyclic voltammetry and capacitive measurements monitored the process of electropolymerization. Surface uncovered areas were plugged with 1-dodecanethiol to make the layer dense, and the insulating properties of the layer were studied in the presence of redox couples. The template molecules and the nonbound thiol were removed from the modified electrode surface by washing with distilled water. A capacitance decrease could be obtained after injection of glucose. The electrode constructed similarly but with ascorbic acid or fructose only showed a small response compared with glucose. The stability and reproducibility of the biosensor were also investigated.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on layer-by-layer assembly of multilayer films composed of chitosan, gold nanoparticles and glucose oxidase modified Pt electrode

A new strategy for fabricating glucose biosensor was presented by layer-by-layer assembled chitosan (CS)/gold nanoparticles (GNp)/glucose oxidase (GOD) multilayer films modified Pt electrode. First, a cleaned Pt electrode was immersed in poly(allylamine) (PAA), and then transferred to GNp, followed by the adsorption of GOD (GOD/GNp/PAA/Pt). Second, the GOD/GNp/PAA/Pt electrode was immersed in CS, and then transferred to GNp, followed by the adsorption of GOD (GOD/GNp/CS/GOD/GNp/PAA/Pt). Third, different layers of multilayer films modified Pt electrodes were assembled by repeating the second process. Film assembling and characterization were studied by quart crystal microbalance, and properties of the resulting glucose biosensors were measured by electrochemical measurements. The results confirmed that the assembling process of multilayer films was simple to operate, the immobilized GOD displayed an excellent catalytic property to glucose, and GNp in the biosensing interface efficiently improved the electron transfer between analyte and electrode surface. The amperometric response of the biosensors uniformly increased from one to six layers of multilayer films, and then reached saturation after the seven layers. Among the resulting biosensors, the biosensor based on the six layers of multilayer films was best. It showed a wide linear range of 0.5-16 mM, with a detection limit of 7.0 microM estimated at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, fast response time (within 8s). Moreover, it exhibited good reproducibility, long-term stability and interference free. This method can be used for constructing other thin films, which is a universal immobilization method for biosensor fabrication.     

An electrochemical investigation of glucose oxidase at a CdS nanoparticles modified electrode

The direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase (GOD) adsorbed on a CdS nanoparticles modified pyrolytic graphite electrode was investigated, where the enzyme demonstrated significantly enhanced electron-transfer reactivity. GOD adsorbed on CdS nanoparticles maintained its bioactivity and structure, and could electro-catalyze the reduction of dissolved oxygen, which resulted in a great increase of the reduction peak current. Upon the addition of glucose, the reduction peak current decreased, which could be used for glucose detection. Performance and characteristics of the fabricated glucose biosensor were assessed with respect to detection limit, sensitivity, storage stability and interference exclusion. The results showed that the fabricated biosensor was sensitive and stable in detecting glucose, indicating that CdS nanoparticle was a good candidate material for the immobilization of enzyme in glucose biosensor construction.     

Electrochemical biosensing utilizing synergic action of carbon nanotubes and platinum nanowires prepared by template synthesis

Platinum nanowires (PtNWs) prepared by electrodeposition method with the help of porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates have been solubilized in chitosan (CHIT) together with carbon nantubes (CNTs) to form a PtNW-CNT-CHIT organic-inorganic system. The resulting PtNW-CNT-CHIT material brings capabilities for utilizing synergic action of PtNWs and CNTs to facilitate electron-transfer process in electrochemical sensor design. The PtNW-CNT-CHIT film modified electrode offered a significant decrease in the overvoltage for the hydrogen peroxide and showed to be excellent amperometric sensors for hydrogen peroxide at -0.1 V over a wide range of concentrations, and the sensitivity is 260 microAmM-1cm-2. As an application example, by linking glucose oxidase (GOx), an amplified biosensor toward glucose was prepared. The glucose biosensor exhibits a selective determination of glucose at -0.1 V with a linear response range of 5 x 10(-6) to 1.5 x 10(-2)M with a correlation coefficient of 0.997, and response time <10s. The high sensitivity of the glucose biosensor is up to 30 microAmM-1cm-2 and the detection limit was 3 microM. The biosensor displays rapid response and expanded linear response range, and excellent repeatability and stability.     

Electrochemical synthesis of gold nanostructure modified electrode and its development in electrochemical DNA biosensor

In this article, gold nanostructure modified electrodes were achieved by a simple one-step electrodeposition method. The morphologies of modified electrodes could be easily controlled by changing the pH of HAuCl₄ solution. The novel nanoflower-like particles with the nanoplates as the building blocks could be interestingly obtained at pH 5.0. The gold nanoflower modified electrodes were then used for the fabrication of electrochemical DNA biosensor. The DNA biosensor fabrication process was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with the use of ferricyanide as an electrochemical redox indicator. The DNA immobilization and hybridization on gold nanoflower modified electrode was studied with the use of [Ru(NH₃)₆]³⁺ as a hybridization indicator. The electrochemical DNA biosensor shows a good selectivity and sensitivity toward the detection of target DNA. A detection limit of 1 pM toward target DNA could be obtained.     

Fabrication of a glucose sensor based on a novel nanocomposite electrode

The direct electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium at nanoscale nickel hydroxide modified carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) has been investigated. Enzyme free electro-oxidation of glucose have greatly been enhanced at nanoscale Ni(OH)(2) as a result of electrocatalytic effect of Ni(+2)/Ni(+3) redox couple. The sensitivity to glucose was evaluated as 202 microA mM(-1)cm(-2). From 50 microM to 23 mM of glucose can be selectively measured using platelet-like Ni(OH)(2) nanoscale modified CILE with a detection limit of 6 microM (S/N=3). The nanoscale nickel hydroxide modified electrode is relatively insensitive to electroactive interfering species such as ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA) which are commonly found in blood samples. Long-term stability, high sensitivity and selectivity as well as good reproducibility and high resistivity towards electrode fouling resulted in an ideal inexpensive amperometric glucose biosensor applicable for complex matrices.     

Sex determination based on amelogenin DNA by modified electrode with gold nanoparticle

We have developed a simple and renewable electrochemical biosensor based on carbon paste electrode (CPE) for the detection of DNA synthesis and hybridization. CPE was modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which are helpful for immobilization of thiolated bioreceptors. AuNPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiolated single-stranded DNA (SH–ssDNA) of the amelogenin gene was formed on CPE. The immobilization of the probe and its hybridization with the target DNA was optimized using different experimental conditions. The modified electrode was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electrochemical response of ssDNA hybridization and DNA synthesis was measured using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with methylene blue (MB) as an electroactive indicator. The new biosensor can distinguish between complementary and non-complementary strands of amelogenin ssDNA. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood and was detected based on changes in the MB reduction signal. These results demonstrated that the new biosensor could be used for sex determination. The proposed biosensor in this study could be used for detection and discrimination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of amelogenin DNA.