Facile synthesis of Fe3O4/g-C3N4/HKUST-1 composites as a novel biosensor platform for ochratoxin A

A fluorescent biosensor for ochratoxin A was fabricated on the basis of a new nanocomposite (Fe3O4/g-C3N4/HKUST-1 composites). Fe3O4/g-C3N4/HKUST-1 was synthesized in this work for the first time, which combined HKUST-1 with g-C3N4 to improve its chemical stability. Fe3O4/g-C3N4/HKUST-1 composites have strong adsorption capacity for dye-labeled aptamer and are able to completely quench the fluorescence of the dye through the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. In the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA), it can bind with the aptamer with high affinity, causing the releasing of the dye-labeled aptamer from the Fe3O4/g-C3N4/HKUST-1 and therefore results in the recovery of fluorescence. The fluorescence intensity of the biosensor has a linear relationship with the OTA concentration in the range of 5.0–160.0 ng/mL. The LOD of sensor is 2.57 ng/mL (S/N=3). This fluorescence sensor based on the Fe3O4/g-C3N4/HKUST-1 composites has been applied to detect OTA in corn with satisfying results.