Construction of an aptamer sensor for sensitive detection of AOH based on the enhancement of light/electric dual signaling response of Ru/Cu-THQ by Ag NCs

[Display omitted] •Ru/Cu-THQ has stable redox activity and superior EC/ECL signal response.•AgNCs activate K2S2O8 to amplify the DPV and ECL reactions of Ru/Cu-THQ.•Dual-mode detection avoids the possibility of false test results. Precise detection of food safety is a hotspot and challenging aspect in contemporary scientific research. This study utilized Ag nanocubes (Ag NCs) to augment the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) and electrochemical (EC) dual-response signals of Ru/Cu-tetrahydroxybenzoquinone (Ru/Cu-THQ). Consequently, a novel aptamer sensor was developed for the trace detection of Alternariol (AOH). This dual-mode sensor offers several advantages: (1) The output of dual-channel signals significantly reduces the likelihood of false-positive and false-negative detection results, which are common in traditional single-mode sensing. (2) Ru/Cu-THQ effectively coordinates dual-channel outputs and exhibits excellent ECL and EC behavior. (3) Ag NCs, due to their strong K2S2O8 activation ability and excellent conductivity, further amplify the sensor's response signal. This sensor demonstrates effective detection performance for AOH in the concentration range of 0.01–100 ng/mL, offering a novel approach for accurate food safety detection and potential application in real sample analysis.