Multiplexed Readout of Enzymatic Reactions by Means of Laterally Resolved Illumination of Quantum Dot Electrodes.

Triggering electrochemical reactions with light provides a powerful tool for the control of complex reaction schemes on photoactive electrodes. Here, we report on the light-directed, multiplexed detection of enzymatic substrates using a nonstructured gold electrode modified with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and two enzymes, glucose oxidase (GOx) and sarcosine oxidase (SOx). While QDs introduce visible-light sensitivity into the electrode architecture, GOx and SOx allow for a selective conversion of glucose and sarcosine, respectively. For the QD immobilization to the gold electrode, a linker-assisted approach using trans-4,4'-stilbenedithiol has been used, resulting in the generation of a photocurrent. Subsequently, GOx and SOx have been immobilized in spatially separated spots onto the QD electrode. For the local readout of the QD electrode, a new measurement setup has been developed by moving a laser pointer across the surface to defined positions on the chip surface. The amplitudes of the photocurrents upon illumination of the GOx or SOx spot depend in a concentration-dependent manner on the presence of glucose and sarcosine, respectively. This measurement also allows for a selective detection in the presence of other substances. The setup demonstrates the feasibility of multiplexed measurements of enzymatic reactions using a focused light pointer, resulting in an illumination area with a diameter of 0.3 mm for analyzing spots of different enzymes. Moving the laser pointer in the x- and y-direction and simultaneously detecting the local photocurrent also allow a spatial imaging of enzyme immobilization. Here, not only the spot dimensions but also the activity of the enzyme can be verified.

Photo-electrochemical Bioanalysis of Guanosine Monophosphate Using Coupled Enzymatic Reactions at a CdS/ZnS Quantum Dot Electrode.

A photo-electrochemical sensor for the specific detection of guanosine monophosphate (GMP) is demonstrated, based on three enzymes combined in a coupled reaction assay. The first reaction involves the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent conversion of GMP to guanosine diphosphate (GDP) by guanylate kinase, which warrants substrate specificity. The reaction products ADP and GDPare co-substrates for the enzymatic conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate in a second reaction mediated by pyruvate kinase. Pyruvate in turn is the co-substrate for lactate dehydrogenase that generates lactate via oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced form) NADH to NAD(+). This third enzymatic reaction is electrochemically detected. For this purpose a CdS/ZnS quantum dot (QD) electrode is illuminated and the photocurrent response under fixed potential conditions is evaluated. The sequential enzyme reactions are first evaluated in solution. Subsequently, a sensor for GMP is constructed using polyelectrolytes for enzyme immobilization.

The effect of lithium salt doping on the nanostructure of ionic liquids.

In this work we report on the evolution of the structure of two model ionic liquid families, N-alkyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium (Pyr1n-TFSI) and 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium (CnMIm-TFSI) (n = 3, 4, 6 and 8) both containing the bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI) anion, upon the addition of LiTFSI using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The introduction of a lithium salt (Li-salt) tunes the interactions through the substitution of the large cation in the ionic liquid with the small and charge localized lithium ion, thus increasing the coulombic contribution from ion-ion interactions. We find that the introduction of lithium ions results in a restructuring of the polar groups in the ionic liquids. These changes are manifested as an increase in the correlation lengths related to charge alternation of the ions and a more disordered structure. This restructuring is interpreted as a reconfiguration of the anions as they coordinate to the small and ionic lithium. In contrast, the length scale of the mesoscopic heterogeneities related to the clustering of alkyl chains is virtually unchanged with lithium doping. Moreover, the correlation corresponding to alkyl chain domains becomes more well defined with increasing salt concentration, suggesting that Li-salt doping, i.e. an increased columbic interaction in the system, promotes clustering of the alkyl tails.