Selective photoelectrochemical detection of bovine serum albumin on molecularly imprinted polymer-functionalized BiVO4 platform

초록

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors have attracted considerable attention as analytical platforms for protein detection owing to their low background signals and high sensitivity. However, their practical performance is often limited by inefficient interfacial charge separation in semiconductor photoelectrodes and insufficient molecular selectivity in complex biological samples. To address these limitations, a molecularly imprinted PEC sensor based on a rationally designed tin(IV) oxide (SnO2)/bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) heterojunction photoelectrode was developed for the selective detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. Monoclinic BiVO4 was employed as the photoactive semiconductor, while the SnO2 interlayer facilitated electron extraction and inhibited charge recombination, resulting in enhanced photocurrent response. In addition, a BSA-imprinted polymer layer was electropolymerized on the photoelectrode surface to impart selective molecular recognition. By integrating interfacial charge engineering with protein imprinting, the proposed platform achieved improved sensitivity and selectivity and represents an underexplored strategy in BiVO4-based PEC protein sensing. The fabricated sensor exhibited a linear detection range of 1–100 pM, with a limit of detection and limit of quantification of 1.95 pM and 5.136 pM, respectively. These results indicate that this sensing platform provides a simple and low-cost platform for highly sensitive and selective protein analysis and highlights the potential of BiVO4-based heterojunctions in sensing applications.

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