Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) employed in industrial processes that causes adverse effects on the environment and human health. Sensitive and inexpensive methods to detect BPA are therefore needed. In this paper, we describe an electrochemical biosensor for detecting low levels of BPA using polymeric electrospun nanofibers of polyamide 6 (PA6) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), namely, PA6/PAH@AuNPs, which were deposited onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The hybrid layer was excellent for the immobilization of tyrosinase (Tyr), which allowed an amperometric detection of BPA with a limit of detection of 0.011 μM in the concentration range from 0.05 to 20 μM. Detection was also possible in real water samples with recoveries in the range of 92–105%. The improved sensing performance is attributed to the combined effect of the large surface area and porosity of PA6/PAH nanofibers, the catalytic activity of AuNPs, and oxidoreductase ability of Tyr. These results provide a route for novel biosensing architectures to monitor BPA and other EDCs in water resources.
Highlights
The continuous discharge of highly toxic chemicals in the aquatic environment is a global concern due to their adverse effects on human health and the environment [1,2]
Polyamide 6 (PA6, Mw = 20,000 g mol−1), poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH, Mw = 15,000 g mol−1), tyrosinase from mushroom (Tyr), hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) trihydrate (HAuCl4·3H2O, ≥99.9%), sodium citrate, bovine serum albumin (BSA), Nhydroxysuccinimide (NHS), 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC), and bisphenol A were purchased from Sigma–Aldrich
The materials used in this work were judiciously selected to leverage the characteristics of nanofibers, AuNPs, and Tyr, with which we expected to obtain a hybrid nanomaterial with improved electrochemical performance in Bisphenol A (BPA) detection
Summary
The continuous discharge of highly toxic chemicals in the aquatic environment is a global concern due to their adverse effects on human health and the environment [1,2]. Pollutants with endocrine-disrupting activity, in particular, may damage the endocrine system of animals (including humans), even at such low concentrations as ng L−1 [3,4,5]. Regulatory agencies have established safe exposure limits, which are often low because the hormone systems are sensitive to these compounds [6,7,8]. The demand for accurate, rapid and sensitive detection methods has been increasing with varied approaches to analyze endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in various matrices [8,9,10,11]. Chemical (bio)sensors are advantageous over traditional analytical methods for this application owing to their high selectivity and sensitivity, fast analytical response, and possibility of automation, miniaturization, and integration [6,10]. One of the main features of these biosensors is that their architecture may be controlled with high precision upon combining nanomaterials and biomolecules
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