Electrochemical/fluorescent dual-mode aptasensor based on 3D porous AuNPs/MXene for detection of ultra-trace mercury (Hg2+)

Bioelectrochemistry. 2025 Feb:161:108833. doi: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2024.108833. Epub 2024 Oct 5.

Abstract

In this work, the dual-mode aptasensor based on 3D porous AuNPs/MXene using "turn-on" electrochemical method and "turn-off" fluorescent strategy was fabricated. Here, 2D MXene was processed into 3D porous MXene by sacrificial polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) spherical template. And the meteor hammer-like AuNPs which had good electrochemical properties and quenching effect on fluorescence was synthesized by single electrodeposition. Dual-signal labeled Nile Blue (NB) was in situ grafted to the Hg2+ aptamer ends of 3D porous AuNPs/MXene/GCE, and an efficient and sensitive signal interface was constructed to realize the sensitive detection of Hg2+. 3D porous AuNPs/MXene had the advantages of large specific surface area, excellent electron transmission performance and signal amplification. The experimental results indicated that this sensor exhibited high sensitivity to Hg2+ in both electrochemical and fluorescent sensing, with detection limits of 2.69 fM and 1.60 fM, respectively. Further, the dual-mode aptasensor can ensure the detection accuracy and target quantization. The dual-mode aptasensor has been successfully applied to the ultra-trace detection of Hg2+ in actual water samples, which shows the potential of aptamer sensor in detecting heavy metal ions in environmental monitoring.

Keywords: 3D porous MXene; Aptamer; Electrochemical sensor; Fluorescence; Hg(2+).

MeSH terms

  • Aptamers, Nucleotide* / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods
  • Electrochemical Techniques* / methods
  • Gold* / chemistry
  • Limit of Detection*
  • Mercury* / analysis
  • Metal Nanoparticles* / chemistry
  • Porosity
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence / methods
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis

Substances

  • Mercury
  • Gold
  • Aptamers, Nucleotide
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical