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Engineering Molecular Recognition with Bio-mimetic Polymers on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Published on: January 10, 2017
Plasma-activated multi-walled carbon nanotube-polystyrene composite substrates for biosensing
César Fernández-Sánchez1, Eva Pellicer, Jahir Orozco
1Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, IMB-CNM (CSIC), Campus UAB, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. cesar.fernandez@imb-cnm.csic.es
Nanotechnology
|July 29, 2009
Summary
Oxygen plasma treatment effectively etches carbon nanotube-polystyrene composites, exposing conductive surfaces for electrochemical sensing. This process also creates functional groups for immobilizing biological receptors, enabling sensitive detection of Immunoglobulin G.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Carbon nanotube-polymer composites are promising for electrochemical transducers.
- Surface passivation by polymer layers often hinders the conductivity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
- Previous work demonstrated oxygen plasma etching can expose CNTs in MWCNT-PS composites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dual effect of oxygen plasma treatment on MWCNT-PS composites for electrochemical sensing.
- To functionalize the composite surface for biological receptor immobilization.
- To develop an amperometric immunosensor for detecting a specific analyte.
Main Methods:
- Low power oxygen plasma etching of multi-walled carbon nanotube-polystyrene (MWCNT-PS) composites.
- X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for surface chemical characterization.
- Protein tethering studies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for evaluating protein-protein interactions.
- Fabrication and testing of an amperometric immunosensor.
Main Results:
- Plasma treatment effectively etched the composite surface, exposing conductive CNTs for electrochemical sensing.
- A high density of oxygen-containing functional groups was generated on both CNTs and polystyrene (PS) without compromising mechanical stability.
- Stable immobilization of biological receptors was achieved via these functional groups.
- An amperometric immunosensor successfully detected rabbit Immunoglobulin G, with a minimum detectable concentration of 3 ng/mL.
Conclusions:
- Oxygen plasma treatment is a viable method for preparing MWCNT-PS composites for electrochemical biosensing applications.
- The process enhances surface conductivity and introduces functional groups for biomolecule immobilization.
- The developed immunosensor demonstrates high sensitivity for target analyte detection.
