Ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical immunoassay of indole-3-acetic acid based on the MPA modified CdS/RGO nanocomposites decorated ITO electrode

• A novel MPA-CdS/RGO nanocomposite was synthesized via a facile solverthermal method.
• The MPA-CdS/RGO nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocurrent.
• A photoelectrochemical immunosensor was fabricated based on the MPA-CdS/RGO nanocomposites.
• The strategy could be used for rapid detection of IAA with high sensitivity and specificity.

A novel ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical immunosensor was fabricated based on 3-mercaptopropionic acid stabilized CdS/reduced graphene oxide (MPA-CdS/RGO) nanocomposites for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) detection. The MPA-CdS/RGO nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ solvothermal growth of triangulated pyramidal CdS nanoparticles on the RGO sheet. 3-Mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was employed as the modifier and bridge to immobilize the antibody. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and UV/vis spectra. The results showed that the MPA-CdS/RGO nanocomposites revealed enhanced photocurrent response due to excellent electron transport properties of RGO and the improved assembly of CdS nanoparticles onto RGO sheet with the introduction of MPA. Based on the dependence of the photocurrent decline on the concentration of IAA, the proposed photoelectrochemical immunosensor for IAA depicted a linear range from 0.1 to 1000 ng/mL with a lower detection limit (0.05 ng/mL). The high sensitivity, reproducibility and specificity of the method permitted the method suitable to be used in real samples.