Combination of pi-pi stacking and electrostatic repulsion between carboxylic carbon nanoparticles and fluorescent oligonucleotides for rapid and sensitive detection of thrombin

On the basis of simultaneous electrostatic repulsion and pi-pi stacking interactions of carboxylic carbon nanoparticles (cCNPs) with single-stranded DNA, a noncovalent assembly of cCNPs and fluorescent aptamers is reported for rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of thrombin.