Microwave-assisted synthesis of highly water-soluble graphene towards electrical DNA sensor

Graphene sheets have the potential for practical applications in electrochemical devices, but their development has been impeded by critical problems with aggregation of graphene sheets. Here, we demonstrated a facile and bottom-up approach for fabrication of DNA sensor device using water-soluble sulfonated reduced graphene oxide (SRGO) sheets via microwave-assisted sulfonation (MAS), showing enhanced sensitivity, reliability, and low detection limit. Key to achieving these performances is the fabrication of the SRGOs, where the MAS method enabled SRGOs to be highly dispersed in water (10 mg mL(-1)) due to the acidic sulfonated groups generated within 3 min of the functionalization reaction. The water-soluble SRGO-DNA (SRGOD) hybrids prepared by electrostatic interactions between a flat single layer of graphene sheets and DNAs are suitable for fabrication of electrical DNA sensor devices because of the unique electrical characteristics of SRGODs. The high sensing performance of SRGOD sensors was demonstrated with detection of DNA hybridization using complementary DNAs, single base mismatched DNAs, and noncomplementary DNAs, with results showing higher sensitivity and lower detection limit than those of reduced graphene oxide-based DNA sensors. Simple and easy fabrication of DNA sensor devices using SRGODs is expected to provide an effective way for electrical detection of DNA hybridization using miniature sensors without the labor-intensive labeling of the sensor and complex measurement equipment.