Smartphone-based point-of-care photoelectrochemical immunoassay coupling with ascorbic acid-triggered photocurrent-polarity conversion switching

Photocurrent-polarity conversion strategies are typically realized by constructing complex photovoltaic electrodes or changing the relevant conditions, but most involve poor photogenerated carrier transfer efficiency and cumbersome experimental steps. To this end, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor by utilizing ascorbic acid (AA)-induced photocurrent-polarity-switching was proposed for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Under light excitation, the electron donor AA was oxidized by the photogenerated holes of photoactive material Co-NC/CdS, resulting in the conversion of cathodic photocurrent to the anodic direction. In the presence of the target CEA, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was introduced into the microplates by the sandwiched immunoreaction, which then catalyzed the production of AA from ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (AAP). Finally, the catalytic product AA was transferred onto Co-NC/CdS-modified screen-printed carbon electrode, thus activating photocurrent-polarity-switching platform. The anodic photocurrent values gradually increased with increasing CEA concentration in the range of 0.02–80 ng mL⁻¹ and reached a limit of detection (LOD) of 8.47 pg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). In addition, the results of actual sample detection prove the reliability of the constructed PEC biosensor. Importantly, this work relies on a mobile smartphone wireless Bluetooth device coupled with the PEC biosensor for immediate detection, providing another idea for detecting CEA in clinical diagnosis.