Nanodot zirconium trisulfide modified conducting thread: A smart substrate for fabrication of next generation...

In present work, we report an eco-friendly, flexible and highly conducting cotton thread (CT) as a smart substrate for the development of biosensing platform towards ultrasensitive detection of swine flu serum amyloid A (SAA) biomarker. The biosensor was fabricated by optimized coating of CT with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) conductive ink followed by incorporation of nanodot zirconium trisulfide (nZrS₃) which helped in enhancing the electrochemical properties and improving stability of PEDOT:PSS polymeric film. The fabricated nZrS₃/PEDOT:PSS/CT electrode was then used for sequential immobilization of monoclonal antibodies of SAA (anti-SAA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The synthesized nanomaterials and fabricated electrodes were characterized through X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and contact angle analyser techniques. The electrochemical response of the fabricated smart thread based biosensor (BSA/anti-SAA/ZrS₃/PEDOT:PSS/CT) was recorded against SAA using chronoamperometry technique which revealed superior sensitivity {30.2 μA [log (μg mL^-1)]^-1 cm^-2}, excellent lower detection limit (0.72 ng mL^-1) and prolonged shelf life up to 48 days. The response of the biosensor was also validated by analysing the electrochemical response of SAA spiked serum samples and the obtained results showed good correlation with that of standard samples.