CapSenze (Sweden)

The performance of a biosensor is associated with the properties of an immobilization layer on a sensor chip. In this study, gold sensor chips were modified with two different immobilization layers, polytyramine film and 6-mercaptohexanol self-assembled monolayer. The physical, electrochemical and analytical properties of polytyramine film and mercaptohexanol self-assembled monolayer modified gold sensor chips were studied and compared. The study was conducted using atomic force microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and a capacitive DNA-sensor system (CapSenze™ Biosystem). The results obtained by atomic force microscopy and cyclic voltammetry indicate that polytyramine film on the sensor chip surface possesses better insulating properties and provides more spaces for the immobilization of the capture probe than a mercaptohexanol self-assembled monolayer. A capacitive DNA sensor hosting a polytyramine single-stranded DNA-modified sensor chip displayed higher sensitivity and larger signal amplitude than that of a mercaptohexanol single-stranded DNA-modified sensor chip. The linearity responses for polytyramine single-stranded DNA- and mercaptohexanol single-stranded DNA-modified sensor chips were obtained at log concentration ranges, equivalent to 10−12 to 10−8 M and 10−10 to 10−8 M, with detection limits of 4.0 × 10−13 M and 7.0 × 10−11 M of target complementary single-stranded DNA, respectively. Mercaptohexanol single-stranded DNA- and polytyramine single-stranded DNA-modified sensor chips exhibited a notable selectivity at an elevated hybridization temperature of 50 °C, albeit the signal amplitudes due to the hybridization of the target complementary single-stranded DNA were reduced by almost 20% and less than 5%, respectively.

A capacitive biosensor was used for detection of aflatoxin B1. Two different methods for cleaning gold electrodes were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry in the presence of ferricyanide as redox couple. The methods involve use of a sequence of cleaning steps avoiding the use of Piranha solution and plasma cleaner. Anti-aflatoxin B1 was immobilized on self-assembled monolayers (SAM). The immune-capacitive biosensor is able to detect aflatoxin B1 concentrations in a linear range of 3.2×10−12M to 3.2×10−9M when thiourea was used to form the SAM; 3.2×10−9M to 3.2×10−7M when thioctic acid was used. When the gold surface was isolated with tyramine-electropolymerization linear ranges of 3.2×10−13M to 3.2×10−7M and 3.2×10−9M to 3.2×10−7M where obtained, respectively. The results obtained show the difference in linear range, limit of detection, and limit of quantification when different self-assembled monolayers are used for aflatoxin B1 detection.