A Label-Free Amperometric Immunoassay for Thrombomodulin Using Graphene/Silver-Silver Oxide Nanoparticles as a Immobilization Matrix

A simple, sensitive, and label-free electrochemical immunosensor has been developed for the measurement of serum thrombomodulin (TM), an endothelial glycoprotein which is associated with the progression and metastasis of tumors. At first, the graphene nanosheets, which were dispersed in Nafion solution, were used to coat the bare gold electrode. Then, silver-silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag-Ag₂O NPs) were immobilized on the graphene-modified electrode by a one-step electrochemical deposition method. Lastly, a thrombomodulin antibody (anti-TM) was attached via amido-Ag affinity. This strategy combines graphene/Ag-Ag₂O NPs hybrid materials as an immobilization matrix and Ag-Ag₂O NPs also as an electrochemical signal indication reagent. The main advantage of this strategy has two important aspects. One is the high stability and unique electronic properties of the graphene nanostructure. The other is the use of Ag-Ag₂O NPs as the immobilization matrix and redox probes, thus avoiding the laborious labeling protein operation. Using this strategy, the concentration of TM in the range of 0.1 to 20 ng/mL was detected, with a detection limit of 31.5 pg/mL (at 3σ). The proposed methodology demonstrates that the nanocomposite film composed of graphene and Ag-Ag₂O NPs is a potential for biosensor applications.