Simple synthesis of silver nanoparticles functionalized cuprous oxide nanowires and its application in electrochemical immunosensor

In this work, silver nanoparticles functionalized cuprous oxide nanowires (Ag@Cu2O) nanocomposites were synthesized by a simple method. The nanostructure of it could be well confirmed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image. Due to the good synergistic effect between silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and cuprous oxide nanowires (Cu2O NWs), Ag@Cu2O nanocomposites displayed a good electrocatalytic performance towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) were employed to investigate electrocatalytic mechanism of it. Using Ag@Cu2O nanocomposites as the labels, a novel and ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the quantitative detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Due to the special electrochemical performance of Ag@Cu2O nanocomposites, the facile and sensitive fabrication of the designed immunosensor was achieved. Under optimal conditions, the designed immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range with a low detection limit. It also displayed an electrochemical performance with good reproducibility, selectivity and stability, which would provide potential applications in the clinical diagnosis of other tumor markers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.