Liquid Crystal@Nanosilver Catalytic Amplification-Aptamer Trimode Biosensor for Trace Pb².

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Liquid crystals (LCs) are primarily used in display technologies.
• The application of LC-loaded nanoparticles as catalysts in analytical assays, particularly for signal amplification, is underexplored.
• Developing sensitive and selective detection methods for inorganic pollutants remains a critical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the catalytic activity of five liquid crystals (LCs) and develop a novel LC-nanosilver catalyst.
• To construct a highly sensitive and selective trimode molecular spectral assay for detecting inorganic pollutants.
• To explore the potential of LC-nanoparticles in advanced analytical and biosensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Molecular spectroscopy was employed to study five LCs, including cholesteryl benzoate (CB).
• CB-loaded nanosilver (CB@AgNPs) sol was synthesized and characterized for its catalytic properties.
• A trimode biosensing platform was developed by coupling the CB@AgNPs catalytic reaction with aptamer recognition for detecting inorganic pollutants (Pb2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, As3+).

Main Results:

• A highly catalytic and stable CB@AgNPs sol was successfully prepared.
• The CB@AgNPs demonstrated catalytic activity in an indicator reaction, producing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with distinct Abs (450 nm), RRS (370 nm), and SERS (1618 cm-1) signals.
• The integrated biosensing platform exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for detecting target inorganic pollutants.

Conclusions:

• Liquid crystal-loaded nanosilver presents a promising new catalytic system for analytical applications.
• The developed trimode biosensing platform offers a novel approach for the sensitive and selective detection of inorganic pollutants.
• This research expands the utility of liquid crystals beyond display materials into advanced sensing technologies.