Graphene oxide-graphene Van der Waals heterostructure transistor biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 protein detection

Jianwei Gao; Chunhua Wang; Yujin Chu; Yingkuan Han; Yakun Gao; Yanhao Wang; Chao Wang; Hong Liu; Lin Han; Yu Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123197

Graphene oxide-graphene Van der Waals heterostructure transistor biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 protein detection

Talanta. 2022 Apr 1:240:123197. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.123197. Epub 2021 Dec 31.

Authors

Jianwei Gao¹, Chunhua Wang², Yujin Chu³, Yingkuan Han⁴, Yakun Gao⁵, Yanhao Wang⁶, Chao Wang⁷, Hong Liu⁸, Lin Han⁹, Yu Zhang¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: gaoxiii@foxmail.com.
² Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: hua52525252@163.com.
³ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: chuyujin12306@163.com.
⁴ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: yingkuan.han@foxmail.com.
⁵ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: 17854262215@163.com.
⁶ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: wangyanhaooo@126.com.
⁷ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: 980606701@qq.com.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250100, China. Electronic address: hongliu@sdu.edu.cn.
⁹ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: hanlin@sdu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China. Electronic address: yuzhang@sdu.edu.cn.

Abstract

The current outbreaking of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic threatens global health and has caused serious concern. Currently there is no specific drug against SARS-CoV-2, therefore, a fast and accurate diagnosis method is an urgent need for the diagnosis, timely treatment and infection control of COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we developed a field effect transistor (FET) biosensor based on graphene oxide-graphene (GO/Gr) van der Waals heterostructure for selective and ultrasensitive SARS-CoV-2 proteins detection. The GO/Gr van der Waals heterostructure was in-situ formed in the microfluidic channel through π-π stacking. The developed biosensor is capable of SARS-CoV-2 proteins detection within 20 min in the large dynamic range from 10 fg/mL to 100 pg/mL with the limit of detection of as low as ∼8 fg/mL, which shows ∼3 × sensitivity enhancement compared with Gr-FET biosensor. The performance enhancement mechanism was studied based on the transistor-based biosensing theory and experimental results, which is mainly attributed to the enhanced SARS-CoV-2 capture antibody immobilization density due to the introduction of the GO layer on the graphene surface. The spiked SARS-CoV-2 protein samples in throat swab buffer solution were tested to confirm the practical application of the biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 proteins detection. The results indicated that the developed GO/Gr van der Waals heterostructure FET biosensor has strong selectivity and high sensitivity, providing a potential method for SARS-CoV-2 fast and accurate detection.

Keywords: Graphene field-effect transistor; Protein detection; SARS-CoV-2; Van der waals heterostructure.

MeSH terms

Biosensing Techniques*
COVID-19*
Graphite*
Humans
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2

Substances

graphene oxide
Graphite