Electrochemical Gold(III) Sensor with High Sensitivity and Tunable Dynamic Range

We report the design and fabrication of a sensitive, specific, and selective electrochemical ion (E-ION) sensor for detection of Au(III). The signaling mechanism is based on the interactions between Au(III) and adenine; formation of these complexes rigidifies the methylene blue (MB)-modified oligoadenine probes, resulting in a concentration-dependent reduction in the MB signal. The dynamic range of the sensor can be tuned by simply changing the length of the DNA probe (six (A6) or 12 (A12) adenines). Independent of the probe length, both sensors have demonstrated to be sensitive, with a limits of detection of 50 and 20 nM for the A6 and A12 sensors, respectively. With further optimization, this sensing strategy may offer a promising approach for analyzing Au(III).