A Novel Electrochemical DNA Biosensor Fabricated with Layer‐by‐Layer Covalent Attachment of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Gold Nanoparticles

A novel DNA biosensor has been fabricated for the detection of DNA hybridization based on layer‐by‐layer (LBL) covalent assembly of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The stepwise LBL assembly process was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The hybridization events were monitored by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurement of the intercalated doxorubicin, and the factors influencing the performance of the DNA hybridization was investigated in detail. The signal was linearly changed with target DNA concentration increased from 0.5 to 0.01 nM, and had a detection limit of 7.5 pM (signal/noise ratio of 3). In addition, the DNA biosensor showed an excellent reproducibility and stability under the DNA‐hybridization conditions.     

Glucose Biosensor Based on Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

An amperometric glucose biosensor based on multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) modified glassy carbon electrode has been developed. MWCNT‐modified glassy carbon electrode was obtained by casting the electrode surface with multi‐walled carbon nanotube materials. Glucose oxidase was co‐immobilized on the MWCNT‐modified glassy carbon surface by electrochemical deposition of poly(o‐phenylenediamine) film. Enhanced catalytic electroreduction behavior of oxygen at MWCNT‐modified electrode surface was observed at a potential of ?0.40 V (vs. Ag|AgCl) in neutral medium. The steady‐state amperometric response to glucose was determined at a selected potential of ?0.30 V by means of the reduction of dissolved oxygen consumed by the enzymatic reaction. Common interferents such as ascorbic acid, 4‐acetamidophenol, and uric acid did not interfere in the glucose determination. The linear range for glucose determination extended to 2.0 mM and the detection limit was estimated to be about 0.03 mM.     

A Simple Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly Strategy for a Reagentless Biosensor Based on a Nanocomposite of Methylene Blue‐Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

A simple layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly strategy was established for constructing a novel reagentless biosensor based on a nanocomposite of methylene blue multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MB‐MWNTs). A nanocomposite of MB‐MWNTs was obtained by direct premixing and possessed good dispersion in barbital‐HCl buffer. Through electrostatic interactions, the nanocomposite of MB‐MWNTs could alternately be assembled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on the Au electrode modified with precursor films. UV/Vis spectra and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied to reveal the formation of the nanocomposite of MB‐MWNTs. The LBL assembly process was also verified by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The MB is a well‐established mediator and efficiently facilitated the electron shuttle between the HRP and the electrode, as demonstrated by the cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. The as‐prepared reagentless biosensor exhibited a fast response for the determination of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and reached 95% of the steady‐state current within 3 s. It was found that the linear response range of the reagentless biosensor for H₂O₂ was from 4.0 μM to 3.78 mM with a detection limit of 1.0 μM and a sensitivity of 22.5 μA mM⁻¹. The biosensor exhibited a high reproducibility and stability.     

Fabricating of Acetylcholine Biosensor by a Layer‐by‐layer Deposition Technique for Determining Trichlorfon

An acetylcholine (ACh) biosensor has been fabricated with bienzymes/poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) multilayer film‐modified platinum (Pt) electrodes by a layer‐by‐layer technique (LBL). The ACh biosensor was optimized and the properties are described. This ACh biosensor was used for the detection of organophosphate pesticide trichlorfon. The detection limits (found 0.001 μg/mL for trichlorfon) make it possible to detect the pollutants. This simple protocol of biosensor preparation, high sensitivity and stability are very promising for the determination of environmental pollutants in field conditions.     

Electrochemical Biosensors Based on Layer‐by‐Layer Assemblies

Layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assemblies, which have undergone great progress in the past decades, have been used widely in the construction of electrochemical biosensors. The LBL assemblies provide a strategy to rationally design the properties of immobilized films and enhance the performance of biosensors. The following review focuses on the application of LBL assembly technique on electrochemical enzyme biosensors, immunosensors and DNA sensors.     

高灵敏度双介体基胆固醇生物传感器的研制

研制了一种高灵敏度、高准确性、微小取样（－滴血,Ｖ≥２５μＬ）并可快速测量（≤６０ｓ）的实用型夹心式胆固醇生物传感器。它是由双介体、三酶生化氧还体系构成的电流型传感器。其中,第一介体含于敏感电极石墨电导层内,第二介体及三种酶、相试剂含于试剂纤维层中。本传感器可用来直接测量从正常人到异常人的血胆固醇含量（２～１０ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ）,并将实现商品化。     

Amperometric Hydrogen Peroxide Biosensor Based on the Immobilization of Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) on the Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly Films of Gold Colloidal Nanoparticles and Toluidine Blue

The precursor film was first formed on the Au electrode surface based on the self‐assembly of L ‐cysteine and the adsorption of gold colloidal nanoparticles (nano‐Au). Layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly films of toluidine blue (TB) and nano‐Au were fabricated by alternately immersing the electrode with precursor film into the solution of toluidine blue and gold colloid. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) were adopted to monitor the regular growth of {TB/Au} bilayer films. The successful assembly of {TB/Au}_n films brings a new strategy for electrochemical devices to construct layer‐by‐layer assembly films of nanomaterials and low molecular weight materials. In this article, {TB/Au}_n films were used as model films to fabricate a mediated H₂O₂ biosensor based on horseradish peroxidase, which responded rapidly to H₂O₂ in the linear range from 1.5×10^?7 mol/L to 8.6×10^?3 mol/L with a detection limit of 7.0×10^?8 mol/L. Morphologies of the final assembly films were characterized with scanning probe microscopy (SPM).     

Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Capsules via Poly(ionic liquid)‐Based Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly

Layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly technique is applied for the first time for the preparation of nitrogen‐doped carbon capsules. This approach uses colloid silica as template and two polymeric deposition components, that is, poly(ammonium acrylate) and a poly (ionic liquid) poly(3‐cyanomethyl‐1‐vinylimidazolium bromide), which acts as both the carbon precursor and nitrogen source. Nitrogen‐doped carbon capsules are prepared successfully by polymer wrapping, subsequent carbonization and template removal. The as‐synthesized carbon capsules contain ≈7 wt% of nitrogen and have a structured specific surface area of 423 m² g⁻¹. Their application as supercapacitor has been briefly introduced. This work proves that LbL assembly methodology is available for preparing carbon structures of complex morphology.     

Assembly of Glucose Oxidase and Different Polyelectrolytes by Means of Electrostatic Layer‐by‐Layer Adsorption on Thiolated Gold Surface

A rational strategy for the construction of a bioelectrocatalytic architecture by means of alternate electrostatic adsorption is described. Multilayer films containing glucose oxidase (GOx) and different polyelectrolytes were assembled onto a thiolated‐gold surface and the resulting bioelectrode was used for glucose biosensing. The supramolecular multistructure was prepared by assembling polyethylenimine and Nafion (as anti‐interference barrier), followed by the adsorption of polyethylenimine and DNA (as stabilizing film) and finally by the alternate deposition of polyethylenimine and glucose oxidase (as a biocatalytic layer). The influence of the deposition time and concentration of polyelectrolytes, organization and number of layers on the sensitivity and selectivity of the bioelectrode is discussed. The resulting enzymatic biorecognition layer exhibits very good analytical performance with a fast, sensitive (3.3±0.1)×10⁴ nA M^?1 and highly selective (0% interference for 6.0 mg % uric acid and 2.0×10^?4 M ascorbic acid) response to glucose, demonstrating that the alternate electrostatic adsorption of conveniently selected polyelectrolytes allow a large improvement in the selectivity and sensitivity of a biosensor.     

Preconcentration and Determination of a Phospholipid at a Surface Modified by Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly

Electrochemical oxidation of a phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine (PC), was accomplished at a 4‐aminothiophenol (ATP)‐modified gold electrode coated with a layer‐by‐layer assembly of an electrochemical catalyst (dirhodium phosphomolybdic acid), a trapping agent for PC (a cyclophane, CP, derivative, 1,4‐xylylene‐1,4‐phenylene‐diacetate), and a spacer (generation‐4 polyamidoamine dendrimer, PAMAM). The layer‐by‐layer assembly process and the trapping of PC was verified by quartz crystal microbalance measurements; Au|ATP|CP|PAMAM|CP trapped (1.5±0.4)×10^?9 mol cm^?2 of PC. The electrocatalytic oxidation of PC yielded a current that varied linearly with concentration over the range 1–50 μM; the R² value was 0.996.     

Amperometric Glucose Biosensor on Layer by Layer Assembled Carbon Nanotube and Polypyrrole Multilayer Film

An amperometric glucose biosensor on layer by layer assembled carbon nanotube and polypyrrole multilayer film has been reported in the present investigation. Homogeneous and stable single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and polypyrrole (PPy) multilayer films were alternately assembled on platinum coated Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. Since conducting polypyrrole has excellent anti‐interference ability, protection ability in favor of increasing the amount of the SWNTs on platinum coated PVDF membrane and superior transducing ability, a layer by layer approach of polypyrrole and carbon nanotubes has provided an excellent matrix for the immobilization of enzyme. The layer‐by‐layer assembled SWNTs and PPy‐modified platinum coated PVDF membrane is shown to be an excellent amperometric sensor over a wide range of concentrations of glucose. The glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on layer by layer assembled film by a physical adsorption method by cross linking through Glutaraldehyde. The glucose biosensor exhibited a linear response range from 1 mM to 50 mM of glucose concentration with excellent sensitivity of 7.06 μA/mM.     

Design of an Interference‐Free Cholesterol Amperometric Biosensor Based on the Electrosynthesis of Polymeric Films of Diaminonaphthalene Isomers

Different cholesterol amperometric biosensors were developed based on entrapment of cholesterol esterase and/or cholesterol oxidase in polymer films of diaminonaphthalene isomers, electrochemically synthesised from aqueous solutions of the monomers and enzymes in phosphate buffer at neutral pH. These conditions permit the growth of films with extraordinary selective properties which allow the preparation of interference‐free biosensors for application in biological media without the response being affected by the presence of either endogenous species (ascorbic and uric acid) or exogenous species like 4‐acetamidophenol. These selective properties were evaluated for the different monolayer and bilayer configurations proposed in function of the film permeation factor. All the steps involved in the preparation of the biosensors and determination of free or total cholesterol were carried out in a flow system. A comparative study was made of the analytical properties of each of the configurations developed and their application to the flow‐injection determination of cholesterol in a synthetic serum.     

Layer‐by‐Layer Assemblies of Montmorillonite and Bacterial Cytochromes for Bioelectrocatalytic Devices

Clay‐based layer‐by‐layer architectures are studied in view of the development of new electrode materials for two highly attractive enzymatic reactions: metal bioremediation and hydrogen uptake. The buildup of layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assemblies of positively charged specific mediators of these enzymatic reactions and negatively charged montmorillonite nanoparticles were carried out onto gold and graphite electrodes. The structure and stability of the assemblies were examined using quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM) and electrochemical techniques. Satisfactory catalytic efficiencies were observed through the LBL construction, either for bacterial cytochrome c₃‐mediated metal reduction, or hydrogen uptake via immobilized hydrogenase in the presence of an artificial shuttle, methylviologen. Interestingly, it is established that intercalating cytochrome c₃ layers between hydrogenase/montmorillonite layers not only protects hydrogenase from leaching, but allows H₂ uptake/evolution catalytic reaction without any additional diffusing redox mediator.     

Photocatalytic Nanocomposite Films Fabricated by Layer‐by‐Layer Self‐assembly of TiO2 Nanoparticles and Lignosulfonates

Photocatalytic multilayer nanocomposite films composed of anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles and lignosulfonates (LS) were fabricated on quartz slides by the layer‐by‐layer (LBL) self‐assembly technique. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV‐vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the TiO₂/LS multilayer nanocomposite films. Moreover, the photocatalytic properties (decomposition of methyl orange and bacteria) of multilayer nanocomposite films were investigated. XPS results indicated that the intensities of titanium and sulfur peaks increased with the LBL deposition process. A linear increase in absorbance at 280 nm was found by UV‐Vis spectroscopy, suggesting that stepwise multilayer growth occurs on the substrate and this deposition process is highly reproducible. AFM images showed that quartz slide was completely covered by TiO₂ nanoparticles when a 10‐bilayer multilayer film was formed. The decomposition efficiency of methyl orange by TiO₂/LS multilayer films under the same UV irradiation time increased linearly with the number of TiO₂ layers, and the results of decomposition of bacteria under UV irradiation showed that TiO₂/LS multilayer nanocomposite films exhibited excellent decomposition activity of bacteria (Escherichia coil).     

A Novel Cholesterol Oxidase Biosensor Based on Pt-nanoparticle /Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrode

A variety of electrochemical biosensors for cholesterol detection have been proposed because of its importance in clinic and food analysis 1-2. Classical devices for the detection were based on monitoring either the consumption of oxygen or the production of H2O2. The amperometric determination of H2O2 oxidation is sensitive and stable, but it requires a high anodic potential (over 0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl) and is affected by co-oxidable substances such as ascorbic acid and uric acid usually presen…     

Layer‐by‐Layer Approach to Superhydrophobic Zeolite Antireflective Coatings

Antireflection surfaces and coatings have attracted considerable interests because they can maximize light transmittance of the substrates. In this work, zeolite antireflective (ZAR) coatings are prepared via layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly of MFI ‐type zeolite silicalite‐1 and polyelectrolyte. A micro‐ and macroporous hierarchical structure was obtained which contributes to the antireflective property of the zeolite coatings. The light transmittance of the coating on quartz can achieve as high as 99.3% at 650 nm. Furthermore, a superhydrophobic ZAR coating can be obtained by chemical modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H–perfluorooctyl‐triethoxysilane. This work demonstrates that zeolites are excellent candidates as high transparent superhydrophobic coatings.     

Sensitively Electrochemical Sensing for Sequence‐Specific Detection of Phosphinothricin Acetyltransferase Gene: Layer‐by‐Layer Films of Poly‐L‐Lysine and Au‐Carbon Nanotube Hybrid

An electrochemical DNA sensing film was constructed based on the multilayers comprising of poly‐L ‐lysine (pLys) and Au‐carbon nanotube (Au‐CNT) hybrid. A precursor film of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was firstly self‐assembled on the Au electrode surface. pLys and Au‐CNT hybrid layer‐by‐layer assembly films were fabricated by alternately immersing the MPA‐modified electrode into the pLys solution and Au‐CNT hybrid solution. Cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor the consecutive growth of the multilayer films by utilizing [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? and [Co(phen)₃]^3+/2+ as the redox indicators. The outer layer of the multilayer film was the positively charged pLys, on which the DNA probe was easily linked due to the strong electrostatic affinity. The hybridization detection of DNA was accomplished by using methylene blue (MB) as the indicator, which possesses different affinities to dsDNA and ssDNA. Differential pulse voltammetry was employed to record the signal response of MB and determine the amount of the target DNA sequence. The established biosensor has high sensitivity, a relatively wide linear range from 1.0×10^?10 mol/L to 1.0×10^?6 mol/L and the ability to discriminate the fully complementary target DNA from single or double base‐mismatched DNA. The sequence‐specific DNA related to phosphinothricin acetyltransferase gene from the transgenically modified plants was successfully detected.     

Immobilization of Xanthine Oxidase on Carbon Nanotubes Through Double Supramolecular Junctions for Biosensor Construction

A novel approach for the noncovalent functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes with enzymes, using a β‐cyclodextrin‐modified pyrene derivative, mono‐6‐ethylenediamino‐(2‐pyrene carboxamido)‐6‐deoxy‐β‐cyclodextrin (Pyr‐βCD), as a molecular bridge for the construction of a supramolecular assembly between the nanotube surface and an adamantane‐modified enzyme, is reported. The Pyr‐βCD derivative was synthesized and its stacking to SWNT through π–π interactions accomplished. The functionalized nanotubes showed low capacity for the nonspecific adsorption of proteins, but were able to immobilize adamantane‐modified xanthine oxidase via host‐guest associations. This double supramolecular junctions‐based approach was employed to modify a glassy carbon electrode with the enzyme/nanotubes complex for designing a biosensor device toward xanthine. The biosensor showed fast electroanalytical response (10 s), high sensitivity (5.9 mA/M cm²) low detection limit (2 µM) and high stability.     

Glucosinolate Amperometric Bienzyme Biosensor Based on Carbon Nanotubes‐Gold Nanoparticles Composite Electrodes

A novel electrochemical biosensor design for glucosinolate determination involving bulk‐incorporation of the enzymes glucose oxidase and myrosinase into a colloidal gold ‐ multiwalled carbon nanotubes composite electrode using Teflon as binder is reported. Myrosinase catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosinolate forming glucose, which is enzymatically oxidized. The generated hydrogen peroxide was electrochemically detected without mediator at the nanostructured composite electrode at E=+0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Under the optimized conditions, the bienzyme MYR/GOx‐Au_coll‐MWCNT‐Teflon exhibited improved analytical characteristics for the glucosinolate sinigrin with respect to a biosensor constructed without gold nanoparticles, i.e. a MYR/GOx‐MWCNT‐Teflon electrode, as well as with respect to other glucosinolate biosensor designs reported in the literature. The biosensor exhibits good repeatability of the amperometric measurements and good interassay reproducibility. Furthermore, the biosensor exhibited a high selectivity with respect to various potential interferents. The usefulness of the biosensor was evaluated by the determination of glucosinolate in Brussel sprout seeds.