Intelligent Sensors of Lead Based on a Reconfigurable DNA-Supramolecule Logic Platform

The lead (Pb) hazard is not only in connection with the concentration of Pb²⁺ but also closely related to the ambience which affects its mobility and the synergistic toxicity with other ions. However, most of the existent methods focus highly on detecting Pb²⁺ concentration accurately but can seldom reflect the pollution-related information in actual samples, thereby limiting their pragmatic applications. In this work, a DNA-supramolecule logic platform was established, which can be configurated to implement three information process functions and act as three unique intelligent sensors of Pb. The demultiplexer that can split signal flow was used to determine Pb²⁺ in different pH conditions; the multiplexer that can alternate signal channels was applied to detect Pb²⁺ or Ag⁺ selectively; and the decoder that can extract information was utilized to test Pb²⁺ and the coexisted Ni²⁺ simultaneously. All three intelligent sensors based on the logic prototypes present practicable sensitivities and specificities. Considering its flexibility, scalability, and reconfigurability, we believe the logic platform may provide new solutions to process sophisticated information and implement intelligent analysis in environmental monitoring, biochemical detecting, and medical diagnosis.