Nanoporous PtCo-based ultrasensitive enzyme-free immunosensor for zeranol detection

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Biosensors

Background:

• Developing highly sensitive immunosensors is crucial for detecting trace amounts of specific analytes.
• Traditional immunosensors often face limitations in signal amplification and sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a sensitive enzyme-free immunosensor for zeranol detection.
• To utilize a nanoporous PtCo alloy as an efficient antibody carrier to enhance signal amplification.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a glassy carbon electrode modified with thionine-decorated graphene nanosheets.
• Immobilization of capture zeranol antibody onto the modified electrode using nanoporous PtCo alloy as a carrier.
• Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• The nanoporous PtCo alloy exhibited strong electrocatalytic activity, amplifying the signal from the antigen-antibody reaction.
• The developed immunosensor showed a wide linear range (0.05 to 5.0 ng/mL) for zeranol detection.
• A highly sensitive detection limit of 13 pg/mL was achieved, with satisfactory performance in bovine urine samples.

Conclusions:

• The nanoporous PtCo alloy serves as an effective antibody carrier, significantly improving immunosensor sensitivity.
• The enzyme-free immunosensor demonstrates high potential for the accurate and sensitive detection of zeranol in complex matrices.
• This approach offers a promising platform for developing advanced electrochemical biosensors.