纳米孔道单分子电化学测量仪器的稳定性研究

纳米孔道分析技术是一种基于电化学空间限域效应的单分子检测技术。测量纳米孔道产生的单分子皮安级微弱电流信号对电化学测量仪器的电流分辨、时间分辨和抗噪音能力提出了挑战。Cube纳米孔道电化学测量仪器通过设计频率补偿电路、前置电流放大器测量系统和基于现场可编程逻辑门阵列(FPGA)的高速数字处理电路,实现了便携式超灵敏电化学测量仪器对微弱电流信号的高时间分辨、高电流分辨,以及低噪音的放大、采集和快速处理。稳定性是仪器能够应用于实际单分子测量分析的重要衡量指标之一。该文通过高阻值电阻对该仪器进行稳定性测试,在截止滤波频率为5、10、100 kHz条件下,Cube纳米孔道仪器获取的电流基线的噪音均方根(RMS)值分别比商品化仪器减小了80.0%、87.5%、48.2%,证明Cube纳米孔道仪器抑制噪音能力更强,电流分辨能力更好,仪器测量稳定性更佳。进一步通过统计比较施加电压值的实际值和标准偏差,结果显示该仪器施加电压误差小,其仪器施加电压标准偏差仅为施加电压变化量(10 mV)的0.14%。同时,通过Aerolysin纳米孔道检测Poly(dA)₄的实验,对比Cube仪器和...     

单分子电泳:纳米孔道电化学的新认识

该文旨在从电泳分离技术的角度认识纳米孔道电化学单分子分析技术,这种技术可以作为"单分子电泳"来理解和研究。纳米孔道电化学单分子分析技术与电泳的本质都是采用外加电场使待测分子产生电迁移。待测分子性质不同,且与介质材料孔道外露基团相互作用不同,使得分子移动速度具有差异,据此实现分离识别。气单胞菌溶素(Aerolysin)纳米孔道,由于其孔径与待测分子尺寸相匹配,其孔道内壁可以看作是由氨基酸组成的具有调控单个分子电迁移能力的特异性孔道界面。每一个氨基酸残基都相当于一个探测单元,在电场力的作用下,待测分子逐一进入孔道时与每一个探测单元相互作用方式、程度与时长不同,从而形成了单个待测分子特征的迁移速度和迁移运动轨迹。在纳米孔道实验中,每秒可以有上千个待测分子穿过孔道,产生特征阻断电流信号。通过对这些信号的阻断电流、阻断时间、阻断频率、信号特征等进行统计分析,可以从"单分子电泳"水平对单个待测物实现高通量的分辨和识别。该文以Aerolysin纳米孔道分辨仅有一个核苷酸差异的寡聚核苷酸(5′-CAA-3′、5′-CAAA-3′、5′-CAAAA-3′)为例,详细阐述了纳米孔道"单分子电泳"的单核苷酸...     

纳米孔道单分子电化学测量的低噪音控温系统研究

纳米孔道检测技术是一种利用单个分子测量界面实现在单分子水平上测量DNA、RNA、蛋白、多肽等生物分子的高灵敏的单分子检测技术. 由于单个分子与纳米孔道的相互作用受热力学控制,亟需精准控制纳米孔道单分子分析的实验温度. 因此,本文研制了一种低噪音控温系统用于具有皮安级电流分辨的纳米孔道单分子实验,以实现精确调控测量时的环境温度. 该系统利用半导体制冷片的热电效应对检测池环境加热/制冷,通过对高精度热敏电阻进行电磁屏蔽以实现在温度反馈的同时避免噪音的引入. 利用比例-积分-微分算法进行控制,达到高精度快速控温的要求. 该系统控温精度为±1 °C,无额外噪音引入至超灵敏纳米孔道单分子测量,获得了25 °C到5 °C下Poly(dA)5与单个气单胞菌溶素（Aerolysin）分子界面间作用产生信号的差异,应用于研究单分子与纳米孔道相互作用的热力学行为.     

生物纳米孔道技术在非基因测序方面的研究与应用

纳米孔道分析技术是一种低成本、快速、无需标记的单分子检测技术,仅有20多年的发展历史,在DNA单分子测序领域展示出较好的应用前景,现已有商业化的产品面世且趋于成熟.越来越多的研究表明,纳米孔可作为一个通用的单分子传感器.本文综述了生物纳米孔道分析技术对蛋白质、多肽和核酸等单个分子与孔道间相互作用、动力学和热力学过程的实时监测以及多种生物大分子和金属离子的定量检测等方面的研究进展.在纳米孔技术中,电化学检测系统也十分重要,本文还特别介绍了高带宽及超低电流分辨仪器和相关软件的相关进展.     

Aerolysin蛋白纳米孔道直接检测单个DNA碱基修饰

基于Aerolysin生物膜通道蛋白的纳米孔道电化学分析技术,因其高的电化学空间限域能力可实现超灵敏DNA单分子检测。本文利用单个Aerolysin纳米孔道在无需标记、无需扩增的条件下直接分辨3种具有单个碱基差异的单链DNA。实验结果显示,具有单个炔基侧链基团修饰的单个ss DNA在限域空间内与Aerol-ysin纳米孔道的相互作用时间较未修饰的ss DNA增长近7倍,电流阻断程度增大7%,且高斯峰半峰宽减小了44%,增强了Aerolysin纳米孔道对单个DNA分子的分辨能力。研究成果有望推动Aerolysin纳米孔在DNA直接测序及表观遗传修饰检测中的应用。     

单个体矢量性特征的固体纳米孔道分析研究

固体纳米孔道作为一种高灵敏的单分子检测技术,由于其机械强度高、尺寸可控、易于阵列化集成等方面的显著优势,已经被广泛应用于DNA,蛋白质以及聚合物等小分子的检测.具有矢量性特征的各向异性单个体在纳米孔道中的穿孔行为对具有空间限域效应的纳米孔道离子流特征信号具有显著影响.为解析单个体矢量性特征对纳米孔道分析的影响,本工作利用氮化硅固态纳米孔道,以单个纳米金棒为各向异性的单个体模型,实时观测了其在孔道中的迁移行为.研究发现当纳米金棒穿过纳米孔道时,产生两种不同阻断程度的特征电流信号,通过对电流信号事件的解析,实时获取了具有矢量特征的金棒所导致的两种特征过孔事件;进一步,建立了离子电流模型,分别对这两种各向异性的穿孔事件机制进行了验证.     

基于石英纳米孔道的单颗粒尺寸分布分析

发展了一种基于石英纳米孔道的单颗粒电化学动态分析方法, 用于单个CdSe/ZnS量子点纳米颗粒的尺寸分布分析. 其机制是向石英纳米孔道两端施加电压, 表面带有正电荷的单个CdSe/ZnS量子点纳米颗粒在电场力驱动下由管内向管外运动, 当量子点纳米颗粒穿过纳米孔道尖端狭小的限域空间时, 其表面正电荷使石英纳米孔道内电荷密度增加, 孔道内的电化学限域效应进一步将电荷密度增加的信息放大并转变为可读的离子流增强信号. 通过对动态离子流信号解析可实时获取具有2种不同尺寸的量子点纳米颗粒所导致的2类过孔事件信息, 从而对在限域空间内运动的纳米颗粒进行尺寸分布分析.     

基于纳米孔金与离子印迹聚合物结合的新型电化学传感器用于测定砷离子(III)

砷是一种有毒的化学元素,尤其对环境和人体健康有害. 因此,简单、快速和准确的砷离子（As³⁺）检测方法的开发引起了广泛的关注. 本项工作研究了基于离子印迹聚合物（MIP）和纳米多孔金（NPG）改性氧化铟锡（ITO）电极（MIP/NPG/ITO）用于检测不同水质中砷离子（As³⁺）测定的电化学传感器. 通过步骤简单、易操控、绿色环保的电沉积方法在ITO表面原位制备具有高导电,大比表面积,高生物相容性的NPG. 然后通过电聚合在NPG表面上原位合成一层MIP,其中As³⁺用作模板分子,邻苯二胺用作功能单体. 通过扫描电镜（SEM）和能谱仪（EDS）对MIP/NPG/ITO的制备过程进行了跟踪. 采用铁氰化钾与亚铁氰化钾螯合物作为电化学探针产生信号,采用循环伏安法（CV）和电化学阻抗谱（EIS）研究了MIP/NPG/ITO的电化学行为. 通过优化实验条件,采用循环伏安法对As³⁺进行了定量检测,其测量As³⁺的线性范围为2.0×10^-11至9.0×10^-9 mol·L^-1,检测下限为7.1×10^-12 mol·L^-1（S/N = 3）. 所构建传感器的检出限远低于10 ppb,符合世界卫生组织（WHO）和环境保护局（EPA）设定的饮用水标准. 另外,该传感器具有制备和确定步骤简单,重复性好,重现性和稳定性优异的优点. 值得一提的是,所制备的传感器已成功应用于测量景观河水、地下水、自来水和生活污水等四种水质中As³⁺. 可以预见,这种简单而廉价的传感器在环境监测,食品分析和临床诊断领域具有潜在的实际应用价值.     

纳米材料在电化学生物传感器中的应用及纳米仿生界面的构建

对1995～2011年间各种纳米材料,包括金属纳米粒子、量子点纳米材料、碳纳米材料、复合纳米材料等在电化学生物传感器中的应用及纳米仿生界面的构建进行了综述。     

基于Aerolysin纳米孔道对单个c-di-AMP分子的检测研究

环二腺苷酸(c-di-AMP)是原核细胞中普遍存在的第二信使, 不仅能够有效调控细胞生长、离子转运、细胞壁代谢平衡等多种生理过程, 还能引发I型干扰素应答, 激发机体天然免疫反应. 本实验使用单个气单胞菌溶素(Aerolysin)纳米孔道蛋白构建的单分子界面, 对c-di-AMP进行单分子测量研究. 为提高Aerolysin纳米孔对带负电小分子化合物的测量灵敏度, 本实验利用LiCl为支持电解质, 有效屏蔽Aerolysin孔口表面负电荷, 减小c-di-AMP与Aerolysin纳米孔之间的静电排斥, 从而显著增强了Aerolysin纳米孔道对单个c-di-AMP分子的检测能力. 实验结果显示, 在90 mV电压下, 每分钟在LiCl中获得的有效穿孔事件的数量最高可达同条件KCl支持电解质的30倍, 且有效穿孔事件占总体事件的比例在不同电压下提升了7~11倍. 进一步表明, 使用LiCl支持电解质, 可有效增强Aerolysin孔道对带负电小分子化合物的测量灵敏度. 因此, 本研究实现了Aerolysin纳米孔道对单个环二核苷酸的高灵敏免标记检测, 有望为单分子水平上阐明新型免疫干扰机制提供新的分析方法.     

Miniaturized electrochemical sensors and their point-of-care applications

Most of the current analytical methods depend largely on laboratory-based analytical techniques that require expensive and bullky equipment,potentially incur costly testing,and involve lengthy detection processes.With increasing requirements for point-of-care testing(POCT),more attention has been paid to miniaturized analytical devices.Miniaturized electrochemical(MEC)sensors,including different material-based MEC sensors(such as DNA-,paper-,and screen electrode-based),have been in strong demand in analytical science due to their easy operation,portability,high sensitivity,as well as their short analysis time.They have been applied for the detection of trace amounts of target through measuring changes in electrochemical signal,such as current,voltage,potential,or impedance,due to the oxidation/reduction of chemical/biological molecules with the help of electrodes and electrochemical units.MEC sensors present great potential for the detection of targets including small organic molecules,metal ions,and biomolecules.In recent years,MEC sensors have been broadly applied to POCT in various fields,including health care,food safety,and environmental monitoring,owing to the excellent advantages of electrochemical(EC)technologies.This review summarized the state-of-the-art advancements on various types of MEC sensors and their applications in POCT.Furthermore,the future perspectives,opportunities,and challenges in this field are also discussed.     

Application of new sol-gel electrochemical sensors to the determination of trace mercury

The aim of this work was the synthesis and characterization of new modified sol-gel carbon composite electrodes and their application to the determination of trace mercury species with positive charge. Two types of modified electrodes were synthesized, sol-gel and sol-gel-PVSA carbon composite electrodes. In the last ones, poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVSA) was used as a functional polymer entrapped within the sol-gel material due to its cationic exchange properties. In a first stage, parameters affecting both, the sol-gel process and the electrode preparation were optimized. In a second stage, usefulness of developed electrodes applied to the determination of cationic mercury species was evaluated, optimizing the activation, preconcentration, measurement and regeneration steps. Developed electrodes showed very favourable electroanalytical properties for their use as amperometric sensors, such as small size, low cost, simple fabrication and handling, renewability and reusability. By means of an easy and low-cost methodology, satisfactory experimental results were obtained in Hg²⁺ determination. In this sense, developed analytical methodology showed adequate response times, linear concentration range up to three orders of magnitude (from 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M) and detection limits of 1.5 × 10⁻⁸ M (3.0 μg L⁻¹). These results suggest that the incorporation of different receptor molecules at the sol-gel carbon composite material in combination with a selected electrochemical reaction could improve the detection limit achieved and obtain electrochemical sensors adapted to the determination of different species of mercury and other heavy metals.     

Stochastic nanopore sensors for the detection of terrorist agents: Current status and challenges

Nanopore stochastic sensor works by monitoring the ionic current modulations induced by the passage of analytes of interest through a single pore, which can be obtained from a biological ion channel by self-assembly or artificially fabricated in a solid-state membrane. In this minireview, we overview the use of biological nanopores and artificial nanopores for the detection of terrorist agents including explosives, organophosphorus nerve agents, nitrogen mustards, organoarsenic compounds, toxins, and viruses. We also discuss the current challenge in the development of deployable nanopore sensors for real-world applications.     

Estimation of uncertainties for the application of electrochemical sensors in clinical analysis

 The influence of the selection of type of electrochemical sensor, its design and calibration, data processing and sample history on the uncertainty of measurements in clinical analysis is discussed. Special requirements for in vivo analysis that may minimize the value of uncertainty of measurements are given. Received: 4 March 2002 Accepted: 1 November 2002 Correspondence to R. I. Stefan     

Monitoring of vesicular exocytosis from single cells using micrometer and nanometer-sized electrochemical sensors

Communication between cells by release of specific chemical messengers via exocytosis plays crucial roles in biological process. Electrochemical detection based on ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) has become one of the most powerful techniques in real-time monitoring of an extremely small number of released molecules during very short time scales, owing to its intrinsic advantages such as fast response, excellent sensitivity, and high spatiotemporal resolution. Great successes have been achieved in the use of UME methods to obtain quantitative and kinetic information about released chemical messengers and to reveal the molecular mechanism in vesicular exocytosis. In this paper, we review recent developments in monitoring exocytosis by use of UMEs-electrochemical-based techniques including electrochemical detection using micrometer and nanometer-sized sensors, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and UMEs implemented in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) microsystems. These advances are of great significance in obtaining a better understanding of vesicular exocytosis and chemical communications between cells, and will facilitate developments in many fields, including analytical chemistry, biological science, and medicine. Furthermore, future developments in electrochemical probing of exocytosis are also proposed. Figure In this paper, we review recent developments in monitoring the exocytosis by use of UMEs-electrochemical-based techniques including electrochemical detection using micrometer and nanometer-sized sensors, Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) and UMEs implemented in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) microsystems. These advances are of great significance in obtaining a better understanding of vesicular exocytosis and chemical communications between cells, and will facilitate developments in many fields including analytical chemistry, biological science and medicine. Furthermore, future developments in electrochemical probing of exocytosis are proposed.

Automated portable analyzer for lead(II) based on sequential flow injection and nanostructured electrochemical sensors

A fully automated portable analyzer for toxic metal ion detection based on a combination of a nanostructured electrochemical sensor and a sequential flow injection system has been developed in this work. The sensor was fabricated from a carbon paste electrode modified with acetamide phosphonic acid self-assembled monolayer on mesoporous silica (Ac-Phos SAMMS) which was embedded in a very small wall-jet (flow-onto) electrochemical cell. The electrode is solid-state and mercury-free. Samples and reagents were injected into the system and flowed through the electrochemical cell by a user programmable sequential flow technique which required minimal volume of samples and reagents and allowed the automation of the analyzer operation. The portable analyzer was evaluated for lead (Pb) detection due to the excellent binding affinity between Pb and the functional groups of Ac-Phos SAMMS as well as the great concern for Pb toxicity. Linear calibration curve was obtained in a low concentration range (1-25 ppb of Pb(II)). The reproducibility was excellent; the percent relative standard deviation was 2.5 for seven consecutive measurements of 10 ppb of Pb(II) solution. Excess concentrations of Ca, Ni, Co, Zn, and Mn ions in the solutions did not interfere with detection of Pb, due to the specificity and the large number of the functional groups on the electrode surface. The electrode was reliable for at least 90 measurements over 5 days. This work is an important milestone in the development of the next-generation metal ion analyzers that are portable, fully automated, and remotely controllable.     

Screen-printed electrochemical sensors for label-free potentiometric and impedimetric detection of human serum albumin

Herein, two electrochemical methods based on potentiometric and impedimetric transductions were presented for albumin targeting, employing screen-printed platforms (SPEs) to make easy and cost-effective sensors with good detection merits. The SPEs incorporated ion-to-electron multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) transducer. Sensors were constructed using either tridodecyl methyl-ammonium chloride (TDMACl) (sensor I) or aliquate 336S (sensor II) in plasticized polymeric matrices of carboxylated poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC-COOH). Analytical performances of the sensors were evaluated using the above-mentioned electrochemical techniques. For potentiometric assay, constructed sensors responded to albumin with −81.7 ± 1.7 (r² = 0.9986) and −146.2 ± 2.3 mV/decade (r² = 0.9991) slopes over the linearity range 1.5 μM–1.5 mM with 0.8 and 1.0 μM detection limits for respective TDMAC- and aliquate-based sensors. Interference study showed apparent selectivity for both sensors. Impedimetric assays were performed at pH = 7.5 in 10 mM PBS buffer solution with a 0.02 M [Fe(CN)₆]^−3/−4 redox-active electrolyte. Sensors achieved detection limits of 4.3 × 10⁻⁸ and 1.8 × 10⁻⁷ M over the linear ranges of 5.2×10⁻⁸–1.0×10⁻⁴ M and 1.4×10⁻⁶–1.4×10⁻³ M, with 0.09 ± 0.004 and 0.168 ± 0.009 log Ω/decade slopes for sensors based on TDMAC and aliquate, respectively. These sensors are characterized with simple construction, high sensitivity and selectivity, fast response time, single-use, and cost-effectiveness. The methods were successfully applied to albumin assessment in different biological fluids.     

Solid-state gas sensors for breath analysis: A review

The analysis of volatile compounds is an efficient method to appraise information about the chemical composition of liquids and solids. This principle is applied to several practical applications, such as food analysis where many important features (e.g. freshness) can be directly inferred from the analysis of volatile compounds.     

Design and application of molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for the new generation antidiabetic drug saxagliptin

Saxagliptin (Saxa) belongs to a new generation of antidiabetic pharmaceutical compounds used in combination with healthy diet and exercise to lower blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this work, we report for the first time a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based electrochemical sensor for the determination of Saxa. Computational calculations were performed, based on which five MIPs were synthesized using Saxa as a template, itaconic acid as a monomer, crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and Di methyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a porogen with different ratios. Non-covalent interaction (NCI) analysis has been also conducted, and the obtained isosurface analysis was used for graphical visualization of NCI that could occur in real space as well as for the discrimination between hydrogen bond interaction, Van Der Waals attraction and spatial repulsion. The optimized polymer was incorporated as a modifier for designing an electrochemical sensor comprising MIP and Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MwCNT) within carbon paste electrode (CPE). The operational variables including incubation time, pH, scan rate, and accumulation time were optimized. The sensor showed linearity over the concentration range (1 × 10⁻⁹–1 × 10⁻¹⁵ M) with low limit of detection (LOD) 8 × 10⁻¹⁶ and 2 × 10⁻¹⁶ M on using DPV and EIS, respectively. The sensor was successfully applied for pharmaceutical formulations, urine, and human serum samples with recovery range between 97.45–100.64 %.     

The challenge of long-term stability for nucleic acid-based electrochemical sensors

Nucleic acid-based electrochemical sensors are a versatile technology enabling affinity-based detection of a great variety of molecular targets, regardless of inherent electrochemical activity or enzymatic reactivity. Additionally, their modular interface and ease of fabrication enable rapid prototyping and sensor development. However, the technology has inhibiting limitations in terms of long-term stability that have precluded translation into clinically valuable platforms like continuous molecular monitors. In this opinion, we discuss published methods to address various aspects of sensor stability, including thiol-based monolayers and anti-biofouling capabilities. We hope the highlighted works will motivate the field to develop innovative strategies for extending the long-term operational life of nucleic acid-based electrochemical sensors.