A photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on cobalt corrole sensitized carbon nitride for human norovirus detection

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Norovirus (NoV) stands as the prevailing etiological agent behind childhood gastroenteritis and foodborne illness, garnering significant attention due to its high infectivity pathogenicity. Protruding domain within the capsid protein (VP1) emerges as the primary antigenicity determinant and a hypervariable region, presenting a potential target site for detecting NoV infection. Herein, a label-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was proposed to achieve high sensitivity toward VP1, utilizing Co-Corrole sensitized carbon nitride (Co-Corrole/CN). Co-Corrole combines with CN through covalent bonds, and the strong binding effect accelerates the directional transport of electrons from CN to Co-Corrole. Co-Corrole acts as a photosensitizer, enhancing light harvesting in the visible region. The well-defined interfacial contact in Co-Corrole/CN heterojunction facilitates the electron-hole pairs separation and transfer. The strong light utilization and efficient carrier migration improve the PEC performance to amplify the photocurrent. This developed immunosensor platform demonstrated a wide range (0.75 pg mL–1-150 ng mL–1) with a notably low limit of detection (0.25 pg mL–1), exhibiting excellent stability and selectivity for other viruses. Moreover, this sensor detected clinical samples with remarkable accuracy and practicability. This research develops a facile and label-free diagnostic analytical technology for highly sensitive detection of NoV VP1 and offers promising prospects for improved diagnostic capability.