Ultrathin PtNi nanozyme based self-powered photoelectrochemical aptasensor for ultrasensitive chloramphenicol detection

Nanozymes have gained increasing attention in the field of biosensing. Rationally designed nanozymes with excellent catalytic activity are accessible to substitute natural enzymes. Herein, a novel self-powered photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor was constructed for ultrasensitive detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) based on ultrathin PtNi nanowires (NWs) as nanozyme and benzene-ring doped g-C3N4 (BR-CN) as the photoactive material. The prepared 1-nm-thick PtNi nanozyme acted as a peroxidase, possessing higher catalytic activity than natural horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and other Pt-based mimic enzymes. Through the biotin-streptavidin specific interaction, streptavidin modified PtNi nanozyme was introduced into the dual-stranded DNA (dsDNA) formed by complementary DNA and biotinylated CAP aptamer. The PtNi nanozyme catalyzed 4-chloro-1-naphthol (4-CN) oxidation to generate insoluble precipitation on the electrode surface, resulting in an obvious photocurrent reduction. In the presence of CAP, the CAP aptamer was released from the electrode due to strong affinity with CAP, causing the decrease of catalytic precipitation and consequently the generation of a high photocurrent signal. On the basis of PtNi nanozyme signal amplification, the developed self-powered PEC aptasensor showed a wide linear range of 0.1 pM–100 nM with an ultralow detection limit of 26 fM for the determination of CAP. This work provides a feasible strategy for the design of high-activity nanozyme and self-powered PEC biosensor to achieve the ultrasensitive detection of target analyte.