Study on the immobilization of anti-IgG on Au-colloid modified gold electrode via potentiometric immunosensor, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance techniques

The immobilization of anti-IgG on Au-colloid modified gold electrodes has been investigated. A cleaned gold electrode was first immersed in a mercaptoethylamine (AET) solution, and then gold nanoparticles were chemisorbed onto the thiol groups of the mercaptoethylamine. Finally, anti-IgG was adsorbed onto the surface of the gold nanoparticles. Potentiometric immunosensor, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance techniques were used to investigate the immobilization of anti-IgG on Au colloids. In the impedance spectroscopic study, an obvious difference of the electron transfer resistance between the Au-colloid modified electrode and the bare gold electrode was observed. The cyclic voltammogram tends to be more irreversible with increased anti-IgG concentration. Using the potentiometric immunosensor, the proposed technique is based on that the specific agglutination of antibody-coated gold nanoparticles, averaging 16 nm in diameter, in the presence of the corresponding antigen causes a potential change that is monitored by a potentiometry. It is found that the developed immunoagglutination assay system is sensitive to the concentration of IgG antigen as low as 12 ng mL−1. Experimental results showed that the developed technique is in satisfactory agreement with the ELISA method, and that gold nanoparticles can be used as a biocompatible matrix for antibody or antigen immobilization.