An electrochemiluminescence aptasensor for the ultrasensitive detection of aflatoxin B1 based on gold nanorods/graphene quantum dots-modified poly(indole-6-carboxylic acid)/flower-gold nanocomposite

A simple electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor is designed for the ultrasensitive determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) based on poly(indole-6-carboxylic acid)/flower-gold (PICA/F-Au) nanocomposite, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and gold nanorods (AuNRs). The PICA/F-Au nanocomposite with a core-shell structure shows a satisfactory electrical conductivity. In addition, GQDs is employed as a superior luminescent material due to the high ECL activity. AuNRs, possessing the good conductivity, is utilized for immobilizing AFB1 aptamer chains to improve sensitivity. The easy-to-design sensing platform shows good ECL performance and response to AFB1. Under the optimal conditions, this ECL aptasensor exhibits a wide dynamic linear range from 0.01 to 100 ng mL(-1) with a low detection limit of 0.00375 ng mL(-1). Simultaneously, this sensor possesses satisfactory stability, selectivity and reproducibility, and it also has satisfactory accuracy and reliability in real sample analysis. All these advantages provide a promising prospective for food safety detection.