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Direct and Sensitive Detection of Dopamine Using Carbon Quantum Dots Based Refractive Index Surface Plasmon Resonance
Faten Bashar Kamal Eddin1, Yap Wing Fen1,2, Nurul Illya Muhamad Fauzi2
1Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 10, 2022
Summary
A new carbon quantum dot sensor detects dopamine (DA) with high sensitivity, aiding early diagnosis of neurological disorders. This SPR-based sensor shows excellent performance for dopamine detection.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Biosensing
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Dopamine (DA) neurotransmitter abnormalities are linked to neurological diseases.
- Early diagnosis of these disorders requires sensitive and rapid DA detection methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and evaluate a novel carbon quantum dot (CQD)-based refractive index surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor for dopamine detection.
- To investigate the sensor's sensitivity, binding affinity, and mechanism of action.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a CQD-based SPR sensor.
- Evaluation of sensor performance with varying dopamine concentrations.
- Theoretical analysis of CQD thin film optical characteristics.
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for surface roughness analysis.
Main Results:
- The CQD-SPR sensor exhibited a blue shift in SPR dips with increasing DA levels.
- Achieved excellent sensitivity (0.138°/pM) in the 0.001–100 pM range and high binding affinity (6.234 TM-1).
- Theoretical and AFM results confirmed DA binding to the CQD layer, explaining the observed SPR shift.
Conclusions:
- The developed CQD-SPR sensor is a highly sensitive and reliable tool for direct dopamine measurement.
- Its simple design and excellent sensing capabilities offer significant potential for early neurological disorder diagnosis.
