Cobalt oxide modified sulfur and phosphorus Co-doped g-C3N4 for screening of urinary human albumin

Abstract

The fabrication of a heteroatom-doped nanocomposite based on cobalt oxide modified sulfur, phosphorus co-doped carbon nitride (Co₃O₄/SP-CN) with increased active sites is reported. The synthesized nanocomposite offers surprisingly high electrocatalytic oxidation efficacy toward human albumin (HA) despite its agglomeration. This improved efficacy of Co₃O₄/SP-CN nanocomposite could be attributed to its increased adsorption sites and surface defects, fast charge transportation capability, and conductivity. Additionally, morphological and compositional analysis of the fabricated Co₃O₄/SP-CN material has been performed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. The fabricated electrode shows remarkable amperometric response against the HA with a limit of detection of 8.39 nM and linear range of 20-4000 nM at applied potential of 0.25 V versus Ag/AgCl in 0.1 M PBS (pH 8.2). The designed Co₃O₄/SP-CN electrode has been successfully applied to monitor HA in urine samples of diabetic patient with recovery percentage from 94.1 and 92.1% and with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 5.8 and 7.8%. According to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to use a Co₃O₄/SP-CN-based graphitic pencil (GP) electrode for monitoring of HA for early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.

Keywords: Amperometry; Cobalt oxide; Diabetic nephropathy; Electrochemical monitoring; Human albumin; Sulfur and phosphorus co-doped carbon nitride.