Electropolymerization-Induced Positively Charged Phenothiazine Polymer Photoelectrode for Highly Sensitive Photoelectrochemical Biosensing

Exploring the fabrication of an electrode with high photoelectric conversion efficiency and abundant functional groups for ideal photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor development is highly urgent but faces a significant challenge. Herein we report an electropolymerization strategy for the preparation of phenothiazine polymeric film on an indium tin oxide (ITO) surface (PPT/ITO), within only a few seconds, and monomers. The fabricated PPT/ITO electrode possessed excellent stability and abundant quaternary ammonium salt groups for developing a highly sensitive PEC sensor through electrostatic binding with negatively charged materials. In this context, a CdS QDs-functionalized PPT/ITO electrode (CdS/PPT/ITO) was proposed and applied to the analysis of chlorpyrifos, used as a model target organophosphorous pesticide (OP). The thiocholine generated from acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-induced catalyzed hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine (ATCh) efficiently directed CdS QDs away from PPT/ITO via electrostatic repulsion, subsequently decreasing PEC current, whereas chlorpyrifos prohibited the generation of thiocholine through inhibiting AChE activity. As compared to the case where chlorpyrifos is absent, significantly enhanced PEC current is determined and is proportional to chlorpyrifos amounts. Thus, the developed CdS/PPT/ITO-based PEC sensor achieved excellent chlorpyrifos biosensing with improved sensitivity down to approximately ng/mL level with good specificity. We envision the proposed strategy will provide a new path to conveniently fabricate photoelectrodes possessing high performance, which will have more useful applications in PEC sensing.