A molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based on AuNPs/PB/CNT for ultra-wide-range cholesterol detection
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Ultrasensitive Detection of Biomarkers by Using a Molecular Imprinting Based Capacitive Biosensor
Published on: February 16, 2018
Xingyue Zhang1, Xiangchuan Zhao1, Wenjing Qin1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Display Materials and Photoelectric Devices, Ministry of Education and Tianjin Key Laboratory for Photoelectric Materials and Devices, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China. wjqin@tjut.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Rapid and reliable cholesterol detection is crucial for the early prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases. However, existing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical cholesterol sensors are often limited by a narrow detection range, hindering their application to biofluids with widely varying cholesterol concentrations. Herein, we developed a non-enzymatic MIP electrochemical sensor based on an AuNPs/PB/CNT composite. Amino-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (NH2-MWCNTs) provided a conductive substrate with a large specific surface area and abundant imprinting sites, while in situ grown Prussian blue (PB) served as an embedded redox probe to enhance signal stability. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) further promoted electron transfer, improved material dispersibility, and amplified the electrochemical response. An o-Phenylenediamine (o-PD)-based imprinted film was electropolymerized on the composite surface to achieve selective cholesterol recognition. The resulting sensor exhibited an ultra-wide linear range from 10 pM to 200 µM and a detection limit of 0.37 pM. It also showed good agreement with commercial assays in real-sample analysis and excellent selectivity in the presence of common interfering species. This work provides an effective strategy for constructing wide-range, sensitive, and stable MIP-based cholesterol sensors.
