Near-infrared light-driven lab-on-paper cathodic photoelectrochemical aptasensing for di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate based on AgInS2/Cu2O/FeOOH photocathode

Hongmei Yang; Chuanyi Tu; Yuxin Hao; Yuheng Li; Jing Wang; Jiajie Yang; Lina Zhang; Yan Zhang; Jinghua Yu

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126193

Near-infrared light-driven lab-on-paper cathodic photoelectrochemical aptasensing for di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate based on AgInS₂/Cu₂O/FeOOH photocathode

Talanta. 2024 May 11:276:126193. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126193. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hongmei Yang¹, Chuanyi Tu², Yuxin Hao², Yuheng Li², Jing Wang², Jiajie Yang², Lina Zhang³, Yan Zhang⁴, Jinghua Yu⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan, 250353, PR China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, PR China.
³ Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Preparation and Measurement of Building Materials, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, PR China.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, PR China. Electronic address: chm_zhangyan@hotmail.com.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, PR China. Electronic address: ujn.yujh@gmail.com.

PMID: 38735244
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126193

Abstract

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is commonly released from plastics in aqueous environment, which can disrupt endocrine system and cause adverse effects on public health. There is a pressing need to highly sensitive detect DEHP. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) light-driven lab-on-paper cathodic photoelectrochemical aptasensing platform integrated with AgInS₂/Cu₂O/FeOOH photocathode and "Y"-like ternary conjugated DNA nanostructure-mediated "ON-OFF" catalytic switching of hemin monomer-to-dimer was established for ultrasensitive DEHP detection. Profiting from the collaborative roles of the effective photosensitization of NIR-response AgInS₂ and the fast hole extraction of FeOOH, the NIR light-activated AgInS₂/Cu₂O/FeOOH photocathode generated a markedly enhanced photocathodic signal. The dual hemin-labelled "Y"-like ternary conjugated DNA nanostructures made the hemin monomers separated in space and they maintained highly active to catalyze in situ generation of electron acceptors (O₂). The hemin monomers were relocated in close proximity with the help of target-induced allosteric change of DNA nanostructures, which could spontaneously dimerize into catalytically inactive hemin dimers and fail to mediate electron acceptors generation, resulting in a decreased photocathodic signal. Therefore, the ultrasensitive DEHP detection was realized with a linear response range of 1 pM-500 nM and a detection limit of 0.39 pM. This work rendered a promising prototype to construct powerful paper-based photocathodic aptasensing system for sensitive and accurate screening of DEHP in aqueous environment.

Keywords: AgInS(2)/Cu(2)O/FeOOH; Cathodic photoelectrochemical; Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate; Hemin monomer-to-dimer; Near-infrared light; “Y”-like DNA nanostructure.