Lable‐Free Electrochemical DNA Sensor Based on Gold Nanoparticles/Poly(neutral red) Modified Electrode

Abstract We present a new strategy for the label‐free electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)/poly(neutral red) (PNR) modified electrode. Probe oligonucledotides with thiol groups at the 5‐end were covalently linked onto the surface of AuNPs/PNR modified electrode via S‐Au binding. The hybridization event was monitored by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) upon hybridization generates electrochemical changes at the PNR‐solution interface. A significant decrease in the peak current was observed upon hybridization of probe with complementary target ssDNA, whereas no obvious change was observed with noncomplementary target ssDNA. And the DNA sensor also showed a high selectivity for detecting one‐mismatched and three‐mismatched target ssDNA and a high sensitivity for detecting complementary target ssDNA, the detection limit is 4.2×10 −12 M for complementary target ssDNA. In addition, the DNA biosensor showed an excellent reproducibility and stability under the DNA‐hybridization conditions.