An efficient label-free immunosensor based on ce-MoS2/AgNR composites and screen-printed electrodes for PSA detection

Label-free electrochemical immunosensors (EIs) are simple and sensitive in cancer diagnosis. Electrode materials which can offer a large specific area and excellent electrical conductivity play a critical role in the fabrication of EIs. In our study, ce-MoS2/AgNR composite was synthesized via Van der Waals force and electrostatic interaction between chemical exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets (ce-MoS2) and Ag nanorods (AgNRs). The conductivity of ce-MoS2/AgNR composite was almost three times higher than single ce-MoS2 because of the synergistic effect between ce-MoS2 and AgNRs. Furthermore, AgNRs could effectively inhibit the stacking of MoS2 nanosheets. The EIs for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) detection were fabricated based on ce-MoS2/AgNR composite. The fabricated EIs retained a wide linear response range (0.1-1000 ng/ml), low sensitivity (0.019 mu A/(ng ml(-1))), and low detection limit (0.051 ng/ml) for the detection of PSA. Therefore, the EIs based on screen-printed electrode (SPE) and ce-MoS2/AgNR composite could be applied to clinical diagnosis of prostatic cancer and have potential application in the detection of other cancer biomarkers.

Automated summary

Label-free electrochemical immunosensors (EIs) based on ce-MoS2/AgNR composite materials offer a simple and sensitive approach for cancer diagnosis, with potential applications in clinical detection of prostate cancer and other cancer biomarkers due to their low detection limit and wide linear response range.