Functionalized 2D Germanene and Its Derivatives for Electrochemical Detection of Gut-Derived Metabolites in Human Serum

Abstract

In this work, germanene and its derivatives (Ge-H, Ge-CH3, Ge-C3-CN) were explored as electrochemical impedimetric platforms to develop a competitive immunoassay for the direct detection of gut-derived metabolites, kynurenic acid (KA) and quinolinic acid (QA). The competition occurs between the free KA/QA standards and BSA-conjugated antigens for a fixed amount of primary antibody binding sites. This affects the electron transfer rate of the [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− redox couple and changes the charge transfer resistance (Rct) on the electrode surface. The impedimetric signal measured due to the change in Rct is then correlated to the KA and QA concentration.

Keywords

• 2D layered nanomaterials
• biosensor
• gut-derived metabolites
• electrochemistry
• electrochemical sensor
• germanene