An ultrasensitive immunosensor based on cellulose nanofibrils/polydopamine/Cu-Ag nanocomposite for the detection of AFP

Abstract

In this work, an ultrasensitive immunosensor for amperometric determination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was developed utilizing Ag and Cu nanoparticles on polydopamine (PDA) functionalized cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) composite (CNFs/PDA/Cu-Ag) as signal amplifier. PDA was first prepared by self-polymerizing of dopamine, and then was adsorbed on CNFs. The obtained CNFs/PDA was applied as substrate to electrolessly deposit Cu-Ag nanoparticles, using NaBH4 as reducing agent. The structure and morphology of the synthesized CNFs/PDA/Cu-Ag nanocomposite were analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. The CNFs/PDA/Cu-Ag modified glassy carbon electrode can fix AFP antibody (Ab), and further capture AFP specifically. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the assembly process of immunosensor. The immunoreaction was amplified by electrocatalytical reduction of H2O2 on Cu-Ag nanoparticles, through which AFP was quantitatively detected. The developed sensor exhibits wide linear range of 0.01–100 ng mL−1 (R2 = 0.9963) with low detection limit of 4.27 pg mL−1 (S/N = 3). In addition, it has been used for the detection of AFP in human serum, manifesting its preeminent application prospect in early liver cancer diagnosis.