COVID-19 Spike Protein Induced Phononic Modification in Antibody-Coupled Graphene for Viral Detection Application

With an incubation time of about 5 days, early diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical to control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that killed more than 3 million people in its first 1.5 years. Here, we report on the modification of the dopant density and the phononic energy of antibody-coupled graphene when it interfaces with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This graphene chemeo-phononic system was able to detect SARS-CoV-2 spike protein at the limit of detection of similar to 3.75 and similar to 1 fg/mL in artificial saliva and phosphate-buffered saline, respectively. It also exhibited selectivity over proteins in saliva and MERS-CoV spike protein. Since the change in graphene phononics is monitored instead of the phononic signature of the analyte, this optical platform can be replicated for other COVID variants and specific-binding-based biodetection applications.

Automated summary

Early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial to control the spread of COVID-19. A graphene chemo-phononic system was developed to detect the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with high sensitivity and selectivity, showing potential for detecting COVID variants and specific-binding-based biodetection applications.