A nanostructured cerium oxide film-based immunosensor for mycotoxin detection

Rabbit-immunoglobulin antibodies (r-IgGs) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been immobilized onto sol-gel-derived nanostructured cerium oxide (nanoCeO2) film fabricated onto an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass plate to detect ochratoxin-A (OTA). Broad reflection planes obtained in x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns reveal the formation of CeO2 nanostructures. Electrochemical studies reveal that nanoCeO2 particles provide an increased electroactive surface area for loading of r-IgGs with desired orientation, resulting in enhanced electron communication between r-IgGs and electrode. BSA/r-IgGs/nano CeO2/ITO immunoelectrode exhibits improved characteristics such as linear range (0.5-6 ng dl-1), low detection limit (0.25 ng dl-1), fast response time (30 s) and high sensitivity (1.27 μA ng-1 dl-1 cm-2). The high value of the association constant (Ka, 0.9 x 1011 l mol-1) indicates the high affinity of the BSA/r-IgGs/nanoCeO2/ITO immunoelectrode to OTA.