Development of a DNA Sensor Based on Nanoporous Pt-Rich Electrodes

Abstract

Nanoporous Pt-rich electrodes with 72 at.% Pt composition were fabricated by sputtering a Pt-Ag alloy, followed by an electrochemical dealloying process to selectively etch away Ag atoms. The surface properties of nanoporous membranes were investigated by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), a documentation system, and a gel image system (Gel Doc Imager). A single strand of probe deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was immobilized onto the electrode surface by physical adsorption. The DNA probe and target hybridization were measured using a lock-in amplifier and an electrochemical impedance spectroscope (EIS). The nanoporous Pt-rich electrode-based DNA sensor offers a fast response time of 3.7 s, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 4.35 × 10−10 M of DNA target.