Electrochemically fabricated polypyrrole nanofiber-modified electrode as a new electrochemical DNA biosensor

A new biosensor employing immobilized DNA on a nano-structured conductive polymer fixed onto a platinum electrode is presented. Upon optimization of synthesis parameters, polypyrrole nanofibers, 30-90 nm in diameter, were synthesized in an aqueous media by the electropolymerization of pyrrole using normal pulse voltammetry (NPV). The nanofiber film was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Double-stranded DNA was physisorbed onto the PPy nanofiber films. Various parameters, including the pH and DNA concentration, were optimized. The DNA immobilized on the nanofiber films was characterized using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Using DPV to study the interaction of spermidine with DNA, a binding constant (K) value of 4.08 x 10(5)+/-0.05 M(-1) was obtained. For the determination of spermidine, the proposed method exhibited a good dynamic range, correlation coefficient (0.05-1.0 microM and 0.9983, respectively) and a low detection limit (0.02 microM), although Ca(2+) ions were found to electrostatically bind to DNA and weaken the spermidine-DNA interaction.