Optimization of Polydiacetylene-Coated Superparamagnetic Magnetite Biosensor for Colorimetric Detection of Biomarkers

Biosensors for point-of-care testing of critical illnesses are urgently needed, especially in many areas of poor healthcare infrastructure. Polydiacetylene-based sensors are ideal because of their unique colorimetric properties where blue to red color shifts can be observed with the naked eye. In this work, a colorimetric biosensor capable of simple, rapid magnetic separation is optimized, using horse IgG as a model antibody, to obtain higher sensitivity. Composed of a unique combination of polydiacetylene and superparamagnetic iron oxide, the biosensor is fabricated at varying ratios of polydiacetylene to demonstrate optimization of color responsiveness. At increasing polydiacetylene ratios, improved color responsiveness and aqueous dispersion are observed, but the magnetic separation efficiency starts to suffer. The optimal color response is obtained at 90 wt% polydiacetylene. In addition, a 50 times improved lower detection limit of 0.01 mg/mL horse IgG is achieved, a relevant biomarker concentration for diagnosing sepsis. This platform provides a promising colorimetric biosensor for point-of-care use.