Alkaline Phosphatase Tagged Antibodies on Gold Nanoparticles/TiO₂ Nanotubes Electrode: A Plasmonic Strategy for Label-Free and Amplified Photoelectrochemical Immunoassay

This work reports a plasmonic strategy capable of label-free yet amplified photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay for the sensitive and specific detection of model protein p53, an important transcription factor that regulates the cell cycle and functions as a tumor suppressor. Specifically, on the basis of Au nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on hierarchically ordered TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs), a protein G molecular membrane was used for immobilization of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) conjugated anti-p53 (ALP-a-p53). Due to the immunological recognition between the receptor and target, the plasmonic charge separation from Au NPs to the conduction band of TiO₂ NTs could be influenced greatly that originated from multiple factors. The degree of signal suppression is directly associated with the target concentration, so by monitoring the changes of the plasmonic photocurrent responding after the specific binding, a new plasmonic PEC immunoassay could be tailored for label-free and amplified detection. The operating principle of this study could be extended as a general protocol for numerous other targets of interest