Contactless Photoelectrochemical Biosensor Based on the Ultraviolet-Assisted Gas Sensing Interface of Three-Dimensional SnS2 Nanosheets: From Mechanism Reveal to Practical Application

Anal Chem. 2022 Jul 5;94(26):9487-9495. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02010. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Abstract

This work reports a contactless photoelectrochemical biosensor based on an ultraviolet-assisted gas sensor (UV-AGS) with a homemade three-dimensional (3D)-SnS2 nanosheet-functionalized interdigitated electrode. After rigorous examination, it was found that the gas responsiveness accelerated and the sensitivity increased using the UV irradiation strategy. The effects of the interlayer structure and the Schottky heterojunction on the gas-sensitive response of O2 and NH3 under UV irradiation were further investigated theoretically by 3D electrostatic field simulations and first-principles density functional theory to reveal the mechanism. Finally, a UV-AGS device was developed to quantify the blood ammonia bioassay in a small-volume whole blood sample by alkalizing blood to release gas-phase ammonia with a linear range of 25-5000 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 29.5 μM. The device also enables a rapid immunoassay of human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with a linear range of 0.4-25.6 ng/mL and an LOD of 0.37 ng/mL using a urease-labeled antibody as the immune recognition molecule. Both analyses showed satisfying specificity and stability, suggesting that the device can be applied to practical assays and is of great potential to increase the value of gas-sensitive sensors in chemical biosensing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ammonia
  • Biosensing Techniques* / methods
  • Electrochemical Techniques* / methods
  • Electrodes
  • Humans
  • Limit of Detection

Substances

  • Ammonia