Ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor for uranium using deoxyribozymes with amplification by gold nanoparticles

A novel highly sensitive and specific electrochemical biosensor for detecting uranium based on specific Deoxyribozymes and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is reported. In this work, AuNPs provide excellent electrochemical signal transduction and a large surface area for immobilising numerous Deoxyribozymes, so a low detection limit of 3.24 ng L−1 uranium and a good linear relationship over the range 5.94–35.1 ng L−1 (r = 0.994) were obtained. The proposed biosensor presents high specificity and selectivity for uranium and is not affected by other metal ions. Thus, the biosensor protocol offers good selectivity, rapid speed and operational convenience for detection uranium in liquid waste.