Photoelectrocatalytic detection of NADH on n-type silicon semiconductors facilitated by carbon nanotube fibers

NADH is a key biomolecule involved in many biocatalytic processes as cofactor and its quantification can be correlated to specific enzymatic activity. Many effort s have been taken to obtain clean electrochemical signals related to NADH presence and lower its redox overpotential to avoid interferences. Suppression of background and secondary signals can be achieved by including a switchable electroactive surface, for instance, by using semiconductors able to harvest light energy and drive the excited electrons only when irradiated. Here we present the combination of a n-type Si semiconductor with fibers made of carbon nanotubes as electroactive surface for NADH quantification at low potentials only upon irradiation. The resulting photoelectrode responded linearly to NADH concentrations from 50 mu M to 1.6 mM with high sensitivity (54 mu A cm(-2) mM(-1)). This system may serve as a biosensing platform for detection and quantification of dehydrogenases' activity. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

A semiconductor combined with carbon nanotube fibers has been proposed as a photoelectrode for the quantification of NADH with high sensitivity. This system may serve as a biosensing platform for detection and quantification of dehydrogenases' activity.