Combination of area controllable sensing surface and bipolar electrode-electrochemiluminescence approach for the detection of tetracycline

A novel area controllable biosensing interface is designed on glassy carbon bead (GCB) and used for measurement of tetracycline (TET) in closed bipolar electrode-electrochemiluminescence (ECL) device. One face of GCB is modified with Au particles and the covered area is varied from 0 to 45.3% by tuning the external voltage during bipolar electrodeposition process in a home-made open bipolar electrochemical cell. It enables the conjugation of various amounts of biomolecules on Au/GCB. Then DNA walker and methylene blue (MB) labeled DNA (MB-DNA) are conjugated on Au surface for the following combination of aptamer. In the presence of target, aptamer partially hybridized with DNA walker will be released from Au surface, leading to the formation of dsDNA between DNA walker and MB-DNA. As a result, MB-DNA with recognition site for nicking endonuclease (Nb.BbvCI) in dsDNA is cleft into two segments by Nb.BbvCI. Meanwhile, the liberated DNA walker is triggered to continue the degradation of many MB-DNA. Due to the excellent electrochemical performance of MB, it is reduced at the cathode of BPE to amplify the ECL signal at the anode of BPE in a closed BPE-ECL platform. When the covered area of GCB by Au particles is enlarged from 10.1 to 45.3%, the change of ECL intensity could be increased 2.7-fold. The linear range for the detection of tetracycline is from 1 × 10−12 to 1 × 10−5 M with the detection limit of 6.0 × 10−13 M. Hence, controllable sensing area on a single glassy carbon bead, the amplification effect of DNA walker and MB make this approach possess many advantages over traditional biosensor.