A one-step electrochemical sensor for rapid detection of potassium ion based on structure-switching aptamer

A one-step electrochemical sensor for sensing of potassium ion (K+) based on the conformational change of a single stranded DNA (ssDNA) with G-rich sequence was presented. The introduction of K+ induced folding of the aptamer, and the Fc moiety approached the electrode surface to produce measurable electrochemical signals. The aptasensor had a lower detection limit at 0.1 nM, which was an excellent sensitivity compared with other methods for K+ detection. The proposed approach showed high selectivity and minimized the nonspecific adsorption, so that it was used for the detection of target K+ in the human serum sample. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.