Electrochemical sensing platform constructed from cobalt(II) tetra-aminophthalocyanine and MXene (Ti3C2TX) composites for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biomarkers-Pyocyanin

Pyocyanin (Pyo) is a virulence and quorum-sensing signaling molecule secreted specifically by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Monitoring Pyo secretion is essential for understanding P. aeruginosa physiology. However, the existing field of electrochemical detection of Pyo has the limitations of high preparation cost and low detection performance. In this study, we successfully synthesized a novel electrochemical sensing nanomaterial used for the detection of Pyo. For the first time, cobalt tetra-aminophthalocyanine (CoTAPc) and MXene was successfully synthesized by electrostatic self-assembly. As a synthetic hybrid, CoTAPc-MXene combines the advantages of CoTAPc and MXene to improve electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity and facilitate the electrochemical induction process. The increase in the specific surface area and catalytic sites of the material can be identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron microscope. The fabricated Pyo electrochemical sensor shows good linearity (R2 = 0.9981) with Pyo concentrations in the range of 0.1 μM to 200 μM, with a sensitivity of 0.4793 μA∙μM−1 and a detection limit of 39 nM (S/N = 3). The sensor has excellent stability and selectivity and can be used to detect Pyo in real samples.