A Single Biosensor for Evaluating the Levels of Copper Ion and L‐Cysteine in a Live Rat Brain with Alzheimer's Disease

Copper ion (Cu²⁺) and L ‐cysteine (CySH) are closely correlated with physiological and pathological events of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), however the detailed mechanism is still unclear, mainly owing to a lack of accurate analytical methods in live brains. Herein, we report a single biosensor for electrochemical ratiometric detection of Cu²⁺ and CySH in live rat brains with AD. N,N‐di‐(2‐picoly)ethylenediamine (DPEA) is first synthesized for specific recognition of Cu²⁺ to form a DPEA–Cu²⁺ complex. This complex shows high selectivity for CySH owing to the release of Cu²⁺ from the complex through CySH binding to Cu²⁺ center. In parallel, 5′‐MB‐GGCGCGATTTTTTTTTTTTT‐SH‐3′ (HS‐DNA‐MB, MB=Methylene Blue) is designed as an inner‐reference for providing a built‐in correction to improve the accuracy. As a result, combined with the amplified effect of Au nanoleaves, our single ratiometric biosensor can be successfully applied in real‐time detection of Cu²⁺ and CySH in the live rat brains with AD. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the accurate concentrations of Cu²⁺ and CySH in live rat brains with AD.     

Characterization of New Specific Copper Chelators as Potential Drugs for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

The non‐controlled redox‐active metal ions, especially copper, in the brain of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) should be considered at the origin of the intense oxidative damage in the AD brain. Several bis(8‐aminoquinoline) ligands, such as 1 and PA1637, are able to chelate Cu²⁺ with high affinity, and are specific chelators of copper with respect to iron and zinc. They are able to efficiently extract Cu²⁺ from a metal‐loaded amyloid. In addition, these tetradentate ligands are specific for the chelation of Cu²⁺ compared with Cu⁺. Consequently, the copper ion is easily released from the bis(8‐aminoquinoline) ligand under reductive conditions, and can be trapped again by a protein having some affinity for copper such as human serum albumin (HSA) proteins. In addition, the copper is not efficiently released from [Cu(CQ)₂] in reductive conditions. The catalytic production of H₂O₂ by [Cu²⁺‐Aβ_1?28]/ascorbate is inhibited in vitro by the bis(8‐aminoquinoline) 1 , suggesting that 1 should be able to play a protective role against oxidative damages induced by copper‐loaded amyloids.     

Recyclable and Intrinsically Anti‐cyanobacterial Polyanionic Membranes

Cyanobacteria blooms possess serious threats to water resources. Herein, we report the synthesis of polyanionic membranes (PA‐M) by in situ photo‐crosslinking of a sulfate‐based anionic monomer followed by cation‐exchange with metal cations, Fe³⁺ (PA‐Fe), Cu²⁺ (PA‐Cu), or Zn²⁺ (PA‐Zn). The effect of cations on the anti‐cyanobacterial activities against both Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa ) and Anabaena flos‐aquae (A. flos‐aquae ) was investigated. All the prepared metal‐containing membranes (PA‐Fe, PA‐Cu, PA‐Zn) exhibit high anti‐cyanobacterial activities and long‐term anti‐cyanobacterial stability, demonstrating that the synthesized PA‐M membranes can be used as an effective and safe inhibitor to control cyanobacterial blooms.     

“Protein‐Like” Copolymers: Effect of Polymer Architecture on the Performance in Bioseparation Process

Recently, a new class of copolymers, so‐called protein‐like copolymers has been predicted theoretically by computer simulation. In these copolymers, the conformation of the copolymer determines the exposure of certain comonomer units to the outer solution. Depending on the conformation, copolymer molecules with essentially the same comonomer composition could have pronouncedly different properties. The authors demonstrated experimentally such behavior in case of poly[(N‐vinylcaprolactam)‐co‐(N‐vinylimidazole)] (Dokl. Chem. 2001 , 375, 637). One more group of copolymers with protein‐like behavior is copolymers of N‐isopropylacrylamide with N‐vinylimidazole. Poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(N‐vinylimidazole)] was synthesized by radical polymerization and separated into two fractions using immobilized metal affinity chromatography on Cu²⁺‐loaded iminodiacetic acid sepharose CL 6B (Cu²⁺‐IDA‐sepharose). The unbound fraction which passed through the column and bound fraction eluted with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, disodium salt (EDTA) solution differed significantly in molecular weight, 1.4×10⁶ and 1.35×10⁵, respectively but were very close in comonomer composition, 7.8 and 9.1 mol‐% of imidazole, respectively. The composition of bound fraction was confirmed by titration of imidazole groups. Despite close chemical composition, the bound and unbound fraction behaved differently with respect to temperature‐induced phase separation at different pH values, the dependence of hydrodynamic diameter on pH and concentration of Cu²⁺‐ions, and the coprecipitation of soybean trypsin inhibitor with the copolymer in the presence of Cu²⁺‐ions. The differences in the behavior of copolymer fractions are rationalized assuming that the bound fraction presents a protein‐like copolymer.     

Synthese,Strukturen, NMR‐ und EPR‐Untersuchungen der binuklearen Bis(N,N,N‴,N‴‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(selenoureato))‐Komplexe des NiII und CuII

Synthesis, Structures, NMR and EPR Investigations of Binuclear Bis(N,N,N‴,N‴‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(selenoureato)) Complexes of Ni^II and Cu^II The synthesis of binuclear Cu^II and Ni^II complexes of the quadridentate ligand N,N,N‴,N‴‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(selenourea) and their crystal structures are reported. The complexes crystallize monoclinic, P2₁/c (Z = 2). In the EPR spectra of the binuclear Cu^II complex exchange‐coupled Cu^II‐Cu^II pairs were observed. In addition the signals of a mononuclear Cu^II species are observed what will be explained with the assumption of an equilibrium between the binuclear Cu^II‐complex (Cu^II‐Cu^II pairs) and oligomeric complexes with “isolated” Cu^II ions. Detailed ¹³C and ⁷⁷Se NMR investigations on the ligand and the Ni^II complex allow an exact assignment of all signals of the heteroatoms.     

Selective and Sensitive Fluorescent Chemosensors for Cu2+ Ion Based upon Bis‐1,8‐naphthalimide Dyads

A series of new fluorescent chemosensors 5a – 5e , composed of two aminonaphthalimide fluorophores and 2,6‐bis((N‐aminoalkyl)aminocarboxy)pyridines, were prepared, characterized, and their fluorescent properties towards heavy and transition metal (HTM) ions were investigated. Chemosensors 5c – 5e exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity for Cu²⁺ ion over other HTM ions with fluorescent quenching (green to colourless). It clearly demonstrated that the length of the linkers (diamines) between the aminonaphthalimides and 2,6‐dicarboxypyridine of 5a – 5e was very important for their sensitivity and selectivity for Cu²⁺ ion over other HTM ions.     

A Two‐Dimensional Coordination Compound as a Zinc Ion Selective Luminescent Probe for Biological Applications

A 2D coordination compound {[Cu₂(HL)(N₃)]?ClO₄}_∞ ( 1 ; H₃L=2,6‐bis(hydroxyethyliminoethyl)‐4‐methyl phenol) was synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction to be a polymer in the crystalline state. Each [Cu₂(HL)(N₃)]⁺ species is connected to its adjacent unit by a bridging alkoxide oxygen atom of the ligand to form a helical propagation along the crystallographic a axis. The adjacent helical frameworks are connected by a ligand alcoholic oxygen atom along the crystallographic b axis to produce pleated 2D sheets. In solution, 1 dissociates into [Cu₂(HL)₂(H₃L)]?2H₂O ( 2 ); the monomer displays high selectivity for Zn²⁺ and can be used in HEPES buffer (pH 7.4) as a zinc ion selective luminescent probe for biological application. The system shows a nearly 19‐fold Zn²⁺‐selective chelation‐enhanced fluorescence response in the working buffer. Application of 2 to cultured living cells (B16F10 mouse melanoma and A375 human melanoma) and rat hippocampal slices was also studied by fluorescence microscopy.     

A New,Highly Potent 1,8‐Naphthalimide‐based Fluorescence “Turn off” Chemosensor Capable of Cu2+ Detection in China's Yellow River Water Samples

A new 1,8‐naphthalimide‐based fluorescence “turn off” chemosensor, N‐phenyl‐4‐(3,3′‐((2‐aminoethyl)azanediyl)dipropanoic acid)‐1,8‐naphthalimide ( MAST ), for the detection of Cu²⁺ was synthesized. Upon treatment with Cu²⁺, in coexistence with various competitive metal ions in HEPES‐buffered dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution (v/v, 1:1; pH 7.4), MAST displayed a high selectivity toward Cu²⁺ with a fluorescence quenching of 83.67%. Additionally, a good linear response of MAST for the detection of Cu²⁺ was obtained in the concentration range of 10 × 10⁻⁶ to 50 × 10⁻⁶ M. A 1:1 stoichiometric interaction of MAST with Cu²⁺ was observed, and the association constant and detection limit were calculated to be 1.37 × 10⁶ and 0.69 × 10⁻⁸ M, respectively. The sensing mechanism of the chemosensor toward Cu²⁺ was proposed due to the effect of the paramagnetic nature of Cu²⁺ and reverse‐photo‐induced electron transfer (PET) process. Ultimately, the proposed chemosensor was applied to quantify Cu²⁺ in real‐world water samples, with excellent recovery rates of 98.00–109.80% observed.     

Phenoxazine‐based Near‐infrared Fluorescent Probes for the Specific Detection of Copper (II) Ions in Living Cells

Abstract : It is well known that copper ions play a critical role in various physiological processes. However, a variety of human diseases are tightly correlated with copper overload. Although there are numerous fluorescent probes capable of detecting copper ions, most of them are “turn‐off” probes owing to copper (II) ions fluorescence quenching effect, resulting in poor sensitivity. Herein, a novel “turn‐on” near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe PZ‐N based on phenoxazine was designed and synthesized for the selective detection of copper (II) ions (Cu²⁺). Upon the addition of Cu²⁺, the probe could quickly react with Cu²⁺ and emit strong fluorescence, along with colour change from colourless to obvious blue. Moreover, the probe PZ‐N showed good water solubility, high selectivity, and excellent sensitivity with low limit of detection (1.93 nM) towards copper (II) ions. More importantly, PZ‐N was capable of effectively detecting Cu²⁺ in living cells.     

Ligand and Metal Effects on the Stability and Adsorption Properties of an Isoreticular Series of MOFs Based on T‐Shaped Ligands and Paddle‐Wheel Secondary Building Units

The synthesis of stable porous materials with appropriate pore size and shape for desired applications remains challenging. In this work a combined experimental/computational approach has been undertaken to tune the stability under various conditions and the adsorption behavior of a series of MOFs by subtle control of both the nature of the metal center (Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺) and the pore surface by the functionalization of the organic linkers with amido and N‐oxide groups. In this context, six isoreticular MOFs based on T‐shaped ligands and paddle‐wheel units with ScD_0.33 topology have been synthesized. Their stabilities have been systematically investigated along with their ability to adsorb a wide range of gases (N₂, CO₂, CH₄, CO, H_2, light hydrocarbons (C₁–C₄)) and vapors (alcohols and water). This study has revealed that the MOF frameworks based on Cu²⁺ are more stable than their Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺ analogues, and that the N‐oxide ligand endows the MOFs with a higher affinity for CO₂ leading to excellent selectivity for this gas over other species.     

A New Luminescent Ruthenium(II) Polypyridine‐derived Dipicolylamine Complex as a Sensor for Cu2+ Ions

A chemo‐sensor [Ru(bpy)₂(bpy‐DPF)](PF₆)₂ ( 1 ) (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine, bpy‐DPF=2,2′‐bipyridyl‐4,4′‐bis(N,N‐di(2‐picolyl))formylamide) for Cu²⁺ using di(2‐picolyl)amine (DPA) as the recognition group and a ruthenium(II) complex as the reporting group was synthesized and characterized successfully. It demonstrates a high selectivity and efficient signaling behavior only for Cu²⁺ with obvious red‐shifted MLCT (metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer transitions) absorptions and dramatic fluorescence quenching compared with Zn²⁺ and other metal ions.     

Synthese,Struktur und EPR‐Untersuchungen von binuklearen Bis(N,N,N‴,N‴‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(thioureato))‐Komplexen des CuII,NiII, ZnII,CdII und PdII

Synthesis, Structure and EPR Investigations of binuclear Bis(N,N,N?,N?‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(thioureato)) Complexes of Cu^II, Ni^II, Zn^II, Cd^II and Pd^II The synthesis of binuclear Cu^II‐, Ni^II‐, Zn^II‐, Cd^II‐ and Pd^II‐complexes of the quadridentate ligand N,N,N?,N?‐tetraisobutyl‐N′,N″‐isophthaloylbis(thiourea) and the crystal structures of the Cu^II‐ and Ni^II‐complexes are reported. The Cu^II‐complex crystallizes in two polymorphic modifications: triclinic, (Z = 1) and monoclinic, P2₁/c (Z = 2). The Ni^II‐complex was found to be isostructural with the triclinic modification of the copper complex. The also prepared Pd^II‐, Zn^II‐ and Cd^II‐complexes could not be characterized by X‐ray analysis. However, EPR studies of diamagnetically diluted Cu^II/Pd^II‐ and Cu^II/Zn^II‐powders show axially‐symmetric g and A ^Cu tensors suggesting a nearly planar co‐ordination within the binuclear host complexes. Diamagnetically diluted Cu^II/Cd^II powder samples could not be prepared. In the EPR spectra of the pure binuclear Cu^II‐complex exchange‐coupled Cu^II‐Cu^II pairs were observed. According to the large Cu^II‐Cu^II distance of about 7,50Å a small fine structure parameter D = 26·10^?4 cm^?1 is observed; T‐dependent EPR measurements down to 5 K reveal small antiferromagnetic interactions for the Cu^II‐Cu^II dimer. Besides of the dimer in the EPR spectra the signals of a mononuclear Cu^II species are observed whose concentration is T‐dependent. This observation can be explained assuming an equilibrium between the binuclear Cu^II‐complex (Cu^II‐Cu^II pairs) and oligomeric complexes with “isolated” Cu^II ions.     

Two Diammonium Copper Azides with Similar Layerlike Magnetic Substructures Made of Chains of Serially Connected Cu6 Rings Show Cation‐Modulated Magnetism

We present here the first examples of Cu–azide compounds synthesized by using protonated diamine ions as cationic templates: (dmenH₂)[Cu₆(N₃)₁₄] and (trimenH₂)[Cu₆(N₃)₁₄] (dmenH₂²⁺: N,N′‐dimethylethylenediammonium; trimenH₂²⁺: N,N,N′‐trimethylethylenediammonium). Both compounds possess a similar, rarely observed anionic Cu–azide layer, which consists of [Cu₆(N₃)₁₄^2?]_n anionic chains linked by asymmetric end‐to‐end azido bridges. The chain, in turn, is made up of elongated Cu₆ rings, with double and single end‐on azido linkages between the square‐planar Cu²⁺ sites within the ring and double end‐on azido bridges serially connecting the rings. The molecular geometry results in ferromagnetic interactions within the Cu–azide layer in both compounds. The interlayer separations are determined by the cations, with the shortest interlayer Cu???Cu separations being 8.016 Å for the dmenH₂²⁺ compound and 9.106 Å for the trimenH₂²⁺ compound. These different interlayer separations tune the magnetic properties of the two materials. The dmenH₂²⁺ compound displays long‐range antiferromagnetic ordering at lowtemperature and short‐range ferromagnetic interaction at high temperature, while only short‐range ferromagnetism was observed in the trimenH₂²⁺compound at 2–300 K.     

Two centrosymmetric dinuclear phenanthroline–copper(II) complexes with 3,5‐dichloro‐2‐hydroxybenzoic acid and 5‐chloro‐2‐hydroxybenzoic acid

The title compounds, bis(μ‐3,5‐dichloro‐2‐oxidobenzoato)‐κ³O¹,O²:O²;κ³O²:O¹,O²‐bis[(3,5‐dichloro‐2‐hydroxybenzoic acid‐κO¹)(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)copper(II)], [Cu₂(C₇H₂Cl₂O₃)₂(C₇H₄Cl₂O₃)₂(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂], (I), and bis(μ‐5‐chloro‐2‐oxidobenzoato)‐κ³O¹,O²:O¹;κ³O¹:O¹,O²‐bis[(5‐chloro‐2‐hydroxybenzoic acid‐κO¹)(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)copper(II)] ethanol monosolvate, [Cu₂(C₇H₃ClO₃)₂(C₇H₅ClO₃)₂(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂]·C₂H₆O, (II), contain centrosymmetric dinuclear complex molecules in which Cu²⁺ cations are surrounded by a chelating 1,10‐phenanthroline ligand, a chelating 3,5‐dichloro‐2‐oxidobenzoate or 5‐chloro‐2‐oxidobenzoate anionic ligand and a monodentate 3,5‐dichloro‐2‐hydroxybenzoic acid or 5‐chloro‐2‐hydroxybenzoic acid ligand. The chelating benzoate ligand also bridges to the other Cu²⁺ ion in the molecule, but the O atom involved in the bridge is different in the two complexes, being the phenolate O atom in (I) and a carboxylate O atom in (II). The bridge completes a 4+1+1 axially elongated tetragonal–bipyramidal arrangement about each Cu²⁺ cation. The complex molecules of both compounds are linked into one‐dimensional supramolecular chains through O—H...O hydrogen bonds.     

Synthesis of transition‐metal‐ion‐selective poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels by the incorporation of an Aza crown ether

A functionalized cyclam was synthesized by the attachment of a polymerizable acryloyl group to one of the four nitrogens on the cyclam molecule. The polymerization of the functionalized cyclam was performed with N‐isopropylacrylamide and N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide, and the gels obtained were studied in the presence of different transition‐metal‐ion solutions. There was a drastic difference in the phase‐transition temperature (T_c) of the poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)/cyclam gel in comparison with the pure PNIPAAm gel. For the described system, a T_c shift of 15 °C was obtained. The presence of functionalized cyclam increased the hydrophilicity and T_c of the aforementioned polymer gels in deionized water (at pH 6) because of the presence of protonated amino moieties. The PNIPAAm/cyclam gels showed a dependence of the swelling behavior on pH. T_c of the pure PNIPAAm gel was weakly influenced by the presence of any transition‐metal ions, such as Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Mn²⁺. The addition of Cu²⁺ or Ni²⁺ to the PNIPAAm/cyclam gel reduced T_c of the polymer gel, and a shift of approximately 12 °C was observed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1594–1602, 2003     

Poly­[copper(I)‐μ‐bromo‐μ‐2,3‐di­methyl­pyrazine‐N:N′]

In the structure of the title compound, [CuBr(C₆H₈N₂)]_n, each Cu²⁺ cation is surrounded by two 2,3‐di­methyl­pyrazine ligands and two Br^? anions in a distorted tetrahedral arrangement. The Cu²⁺ cations and Br^? anions form (Cu₂Br₂)₂ rhomboid dimers located around a centre of inversion. The 2,3‐di­methyl­pyrazine ligands connect the Cu²⁺ cations in the dimers into sheets parallel to (010).     

A Copper(II) Ion‐Selective Potentiometric Sensor Based on N,N′,N″,N′′′‐Tetrakis(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐1,4,8,11‐tetraazacyclotetradecane in PVC Matrix

The simple PVC‐based membrane containing N,N′,N″,N′′′‐tetrakis(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐1,4,8,11‐tetraazacyclotetradecane (tpmc) as an ionophore and dibutyl phthalate as a plasticizer, directly coated on a glassy carbon electrode was examined as a new sensor for Cu²⁺ ions. The potential response was linear within the concentration range of 1.0×10^?1–1.0×10^?6 M with a Nernstian slope of 28.8 mV/decade and detection limit of 7.0×10^?7 M. The electrode was used in aqueous solutions over a wide pH range (1.3–6). The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity for Cu²⁺ ion over a number of cations and was successfully used in its determination in real samples.     

Synthesis,structural characterization and thermal properties of a new copper(II) one‐dimensional coordination polymer based on bridging N,N′‐bis(2‐hydroxybenzylidene)‐2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diamine and dicyanamide ligands

The design and synthesis of polymeric coordination compounds of 3d transition metals are of great interest in the search for functional materials. The coordination chemistry of the copper(II) ion is of interest currently due to potential applications in the areas of molecular biology and magnetochemistry. A novel coordination polymer of Cu^II with bridging N,N′‐bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropane‐1,3‐diamine (H₂L‐DM) and dicyanamide (dca) ligands, catena‐poly[[[μ₂‐2,2‐dimethyl‐N,N′‐bis(2‐oxidobenzylidene)propane‐1,3‐diamine‐1:2κ⁶O,N,N′,O′:O,O′]dicopper(II)]‐di‐μ‐dicyanamido‐1:2′κ²N¹:N⁵;2:1′κ²N¹:N⁵], [Cu₂(C₁₉H₂₀N₂O₂)(C₂N₃)₂]_n, has been synthesized and characterized by CHN elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis and X‐ray single‐crystal diffraction analysis. Structural studies show that the Cu^II centres in the dimeric asymmetric unit adopt distorted square‐pyramidal geometries, as confirmed by the Addison parameter (τ) values. The chelating characteristics of the L‐DM²⁻ ligand results in the formation of a Cu^II dimer with a double phenolate bridge in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal, the dimeric units are further linked to adjacent dimeric units through μ_1,5‐dca bridges to produce one‐dimensional polymeric chains.     

Di‐μ‐hydroxido‐bis{[bis(6‐methyl‐2‐pyridylmethyl)(2‐phenylethyl)amine‐κ3N′,N′′,N′′′]copper(II)} bis(perchlorate)

The title compund, [Cu₂(OH)₂(C₂₂H₂₅N₃)₂](ClO₄)₂, is a copper(II) dimer, with two [CuL]²⁺ units [L is bis(6‐methyl‐2‐pyridylmethyl)(2‐phenylethyl)amine] bridged by hydroxide groups to define the {[CuL](μ‐OH)₂[CuL]}²⁺ cation. Charge balance is provided by perchlorate counter‐anions. The cation has a crystallographic inversion centre halfway between the Cu^II ions, which are separated by 3.0161 (8) Å. The central core of the cation is an almost regular Cu₂O₂ parallelogram of sides 1.931 (2) and 1.935 (2) Å, with a Cu—O—Cu angle of 102.55 (11)°. The coordination geometry around each Cu^II centre can be best described as a square‐based pyramid, with three N atoms from L ligands and two hydroxide O atoms completing the coordination environment. Each cationic unit is hydrogen bonded to two perchlorate anions by means of hydroxide–perchlorate O—H...O interactions.     

Immunosensing of NT‐proBNP via Cu2+‐based MOFs Biolabeling and in situ Microliter‐droplet Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Immunoassay of amino‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) was conducted using Cu²⁺‐1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylic acid metal‐organic frameworks (HKUST‐1 MOFs) as the secondary antibody label, and in situ microliter‐droplet anodic stripping voltammetry detection of Cu²⁺ in 0.1 M HNO₃+1 M NaCl directly on the glassy carbon immunoelectrode. Electrochemical methods, quartz crystal microbalance, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy were employed for material and electrode characterizations. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection (S/N=3) was 0.33 fg mL^?1, and the analysis of NT‐proBNP in clinical serum samples returned good results.