Wide-Spectrum-Responsive Paper-Supported Photoelectrochemical Sensing Platform Based on Black Phosphorus-Sensitized TiO2.

A wide-spectrum-responsive paper-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor based on black phosphorus (BP) quantum dots (QDs)-sensitized titanium dioxide (TiO2-BP QDs) for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) detection was presented herein. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were first coated on paper to form a flexible conductive paper electrode. TiO2 nanoparticles were then in situ synthesized on the CNTs-modified paper working electrode with direct liquid-phase hydrolysis with normal temperature, shirtsleeve operation, and gentle solution. Meanwhile, BP QDs, derived from two-dimensional BP nanosheets, can harvest light from the ultraviolet to near-infrared region, broaden efficient utilization of light, add a new dimension to BP research, and impel the high expectation on the potentials of QDs. To implement an assay protocol, exciton-plasmon interactions between TiO2-BP QDs and gold nanoparticles were introduced into the PEC sensing platform for high sensitivity detection of the PSA antigen. Under the optimal conditions, this proposed method exhibited a linear response ranging from 0.005 to 50 ng/mL with a detection limit of 1 pg/mL. This sensing protocol offered a promising analytical method with favorable properties of high selectivity, stability, and reproducibility.