"On-Off-On" Photoelectrochemical/Visual Lab-on-Paper Sensing via Signal Amplification of CdS Quantum Dots@Leaf-Shape ZnO and Quenching of Au-Modified Prism-Anchored Octahedral CeO2 Nanoparticles

An effective "on-off-on" photoelectrochemical (PEC)/visual sensing system based on cleaning-switchable lab-on-paper device was designed to achieve ultrasensitive detection of analytes. The first amplified "signal-on" PEC state was gained by CdS quantum dots sensitized leaf-shape ZnO (CdS QDs/leaf-shape ZnO) structure, which was assembled on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified paper electrode. Then Au-modified prism-anchored octahedral CeO2 nanoparticles (Au@PO-CeO2 NPs), as an efficient signal quencher, were immobilized on the CdS QDs/leaf-shape ZnO with the assistance of DNA hybridization, resulting in a noticeable photocurrent response decrement with the "signal-off" PEC state. With the addition of analytes, the quencher Au@PO-CeO2 NPs were immediately released from the sensing surface and robust PEC response was recovered to the signal-on state again. Meanwhile, the disengaged quencher in electrolyte solution flowed to the colorimetric detection area of lab-on-paper device and catalyzed oxidation of the chromogenic substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine in the presence of H2O2 to form the colored product, making the analytes detection more convincing with the visual discrimination. Under optimal conditions, the proposed PEC/visual lab-on-paper device possessed the detection limits toward adenosine and potassium ion as low as 0.15 and 0.06 nM, respectively. With ingenious design of actuating conversion process between hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity by slipping paper tab to solve cleaning issue in the assay procedures, the cleaning-switchable lab-on-paper device was constructed for high-performance biosensing applications. It provides an unambiguous simplicity and portable operation for exploring high reliability and sensitivity of novel point-of-care diagnostic tool with dual-signal readout.