A label-free photoelectrochemical biosensor for silver ions based on Zn-Co doped C and CdS QD nanomaterials

A sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for silver ions (Ag⁺) was developed based on Zn-Co doped C and CdS quantum dot (CdS QD) nanomaterials. Hydrophobic modified sodium alginate (HMA), which could stabilize and improve the PEC performance of CdS QDs, was also used for the construction of PEC sensors. Especially, Zn-Co doped C, CdS QDs and HMA were sequentially modified onto an electrode surface via the drop-coating method, and a C base rich DNA strand was then immobilized onto the modified electrode. As the C base in DNA specifically recognized Ag⁺, it formed a C-Ag⁺-C complex in the presence of Ag⁺, which created a spatial steric hindrance, resulting in a reduced PEC response. The sensing platform is sensitive to Ag⁺ in the range of 10.0 fM to 0.10 μM, with a limit of detection of 3.99 fM. This work offers an ideal platform to determine trace heavy metal ions in environmental monitoring and bioanalysis.