Porous graphene-black phosphorus nanocomposite modified electrode for detection of leptin

Leptin is a vital biomarker of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), and its evaluation of the concentration level in vivo is of great significance to NAFLD diagnosis. Therefore, it is pressing to develop a method for rapid and sensitive detection of leptin. This paper describes an environmentally friendly and label-free immunosensor based on porous graphene functionalized black phosphorus (PG-BP) composite to detect of leptin. The PG-BP was synthesized via strong coherent coupling between porous graphene (PG) surface plasmons and anisotropic black phosphorus (BP) localized surface plasmons, which made the electrochemical performance of PG and BP synergistic as well as increased the stability and conductive capability of BP material. The PG-BP modified electrodes was further prepared by gold nanoparticles, cysteamine, and glutaraldehyde in turn. Due to the cross-linking effect of glutaraldehyde, anti-leptin can be firmly fixed. These properties of the platform improved the conductive capability of the immunosensor and enhanced the load capacity of the proteins, thereby, the sensitivity of the immunosensor was significantly increased. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range of 0.150-2500 pg/mL with a low detection limit of 0.036 pg/mL. The leptin immunosensor displayed excellent selectivity and anti-interference ability, which could be used for early screening and diagnosis of clinical NALFD.