Competitive Displacement Triggering DBP Photoelectrochemical Aptasensor via Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide Bridging Aptamer and Perovskite

Here, a label-free perovskite-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor was rationally designed for the displacement assay of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a well-known endocrine disruptor, with the aid of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). In this method, CTAB significantly enhanced the PEC response and humidity resistance of the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite by forming a protecting layer and passivating the X- and A-sites vacancies of CH3NH3PbI3. In addition, CTAB facilitated the immobilization of an aptamer through van der Waals and hydrophobicity forces, as well as the electrostatic interactions between the phosphate group of the aptamer and the cationic group of CTAB. When exposed to DBP in the affinity solution, the DBP aptamer was released from the electrode because the affinity between DBP and its aptamer competes with the interaction of the aptamer and CTAB. The displacement of the aptamer from the perovskite surface relieves the block effect and thus enhances the photoelectric signal of perovskite. By virtue of the good photoelectrochemical characters of CH3NH3PbI3 and the specific recognition ability of aptamer, the linear range of the PEC sensor was 1.0 × 10–13 to 1.0 × 10–8 M and the detection and quantification limits were down to 2.5 × 10–14 and 8.2 × 10–14 M (S/N = 3), respectively. This work offers a novel strategy for designing aptasensors for the detection of various targets and exhibits the marvelous potential of organic–inorganic perovskite in the field of PEC analysis.