title: A Novel One-Step Fabricated, Droplet-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Facile Biochemical Assays.
abstract: A simple, novel concept for the one-step fabrication of a low-cost, easy-to-use droplet-based electrochemical (EC) sensor is described, in which the EC reagents are contained in a droplet and the droplet assay is operated on a simple planar surface instead of in a complicated closed channel/chamber. In combination with an elegant carbon electrode configuration, screen-printed on a widely available polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, the developed sensor exhibits a stable solution-restriction capacity and acceptable EC response, and thus can be used directly for the detection of different analytes (including ascorbic acid (AA), copper ions (Cu(2+)), 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate (dGTP) and ferulic acid (FA)), without any pretreatment. The obtained, acceptable linear ranges/detection limits for AA, Cu(2+), dGTP and FA are 0.5-10/0.415 mM, (0.0157-0.1574 and 0.1574-1.5736)/0.011 mM, 0.01-0.1/0.008 mM and 0.0257-0.515/0.024 mM, respectively. Finally, the utility of the droplet-based EC sensor was demonstrated for the determination of AA in two commercial beverages, and of Cu(2+) in two water samples, with reliable recovery and good stability. The applicability of the droplet-based sensor demonstrates that the proposed EC strategy is potentially a cost-effective solution for a series of biochemical sensing applications in public health, environmental monitoring, and the developing world.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China. striveforhappiness@126.com.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China. zhangcs@scnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chunsun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D003300:Copper / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003848:Deoxyguanine Nucleotides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003373:Coumaric Acids; D003848:Deoxyguanine Nucleotides; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D003300:Copper; C029603:deoxyguanosine triphosphate; C004999:ferulic acid; D001205:Ascorbic Acid
keywords: biochemical assays; droplet-based sensor; electrochemical sensing; one-step fabrication