Ultrathin Ti3C2 nanosheets based “off-on” fluorescent nanoprobe for rapid and sensitive detection of HPV infection

•Sensitive fluorescent DNA sensing platform based on ultrathin Ti3C2 was established.•The method combines DNA hybridization with signal amplification of Exo III.•The approach is a simple, rapid and homogeneous mix-and-detect assay.•The sensors was successfully employed to detect PCR-amplified HPV-18 DNA extracted from cervical scrapes samples. MXenes as a new class of 2D materials have recently been widely applied in energy storage, electrocatalysis, sensors, adsorption, water purification, and so on, due to their tunable versatile properties. Herein, we demonstrate a simple, rapid and highly-sensitive sensing platform based on ultrathin two-dimensional MXene Ti3C2 nanosheets (Ti3C2 NSs) for selective analysis of Human papillomavirus (HPV), a major human pathogens and causative agents of cervical cancer. Ultrathin Ti3C2 NSs, obtained by exfoliating their layered HF-etched powder, exhibit high fluorescence quenching ability to dye-labeled single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and different affinities for ssDNA and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Under the fluorescence quenching effect of Ti3C2 NSs, ssDNA probe (P) shows the minimal fluorescent emission. After the formation of duplex structure with its complementary target, ssDNA (T), the fluorescence intensity enhances evidently. Exonuclease III (Exo III) was used to improve the sensitivity by promoting more fluorescence enhancement. This magnified fluorescent sensor for HPV-18 detection shows a low detection limit of 100 pM and a high specificity. Furthermore, the developed DNA sensor can be employed to determine PCR amplified HPV-18 from cervical scrapes samples. It highlights ultrathin Ti3C2 NSs as a potential candidate for construction of fluorescence DNA biosensors with excellent performances.