4‐Aminothiophenol Self‐Assembled Monolayer for the Development of a DNA Biosensor Aiming the Detection of Cylindrospermopsin Producing Cyanobacteria

The development of a DNA biosensor for the detection of cylindrospermopsin, based on self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4‐aminothiophenol, is investigated. SAMs were characterized by electrochemical reductive desorption. Detection of probe immobilization and hybridization has been achieved by cyclic and square‐wave voltammetry (SWV), using methylene blue (MB) as electroactive indicator. The SWV data obtained in phosphate buffer, with and without NaCl, after MB accumulation, revealed an increase of the redox indicator current peaks after the hybridization step. This behavior is consistent with MB intercalation into DNA, for high ionic strength media and attributed to electrostatic interactions in the absence of salt. Evidence for surface modification is also provided by atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry.