A novel near-infrared light-responsive photoelectrochemical platform for detecting microcystin-LR in fish based on Ag2S cubes and plasmonic Au nanoparticles

As a main contaminant in fish, microcystin-LR (MC-LR) leads to serious liver problems; therefore, the development of MC-LR sensors is important to guarantee aquatic food safety. In this work, a near-infrared (NIR) light-excited photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was developed through conjugation of Ag2S cubes with Au nanoparticles (NPs) to determine MC-LR residues in fish. Specifically, as a narrow-band semiconducting material, Ag2S is capable of absorbing NIR light. Taking advantage of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect along with good conductivity of AuNPs, the developed AuNP/Ag2S/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) owns much higher photoelectric conversion efficiency, and the photocurrent is 5.3 times that of Ag2S FTO. Subsequently, the NIR-driven AuNP/Ag2S/FTO was used to immobilize antibodies (Abs) for MC-LR. Their specificity to MC-LR led to steric effects and limited surface electron transfer, causing reduce of the photocurrent. Through AuNP/Ag2S-composite amplification and immunological specificity, the PEC immunosensor can quantitatively measure MC-LR with a wide linear range, 10 pg L-1 to 10 μg L-1, and a much low detection limit, 7 pg L-1 (S/N = 3). Finally, the NIR PEC sensor was employed in the analysis of MC-LR contents in fish. This work reveals the NIR-responsive ability of Ag2S cubes and deepens understanding the role of AuNPs in the PEC process. Due to the superior properties, the developed NIR PEC immunosensor has been demonstrated as a promising method for analysis of biological samples.