Zirconia based nucleic acid sensor for <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> detection

Abstract

Nanostructured zirconium oxide (ZrO2) film (particle size∼35 nm), electrochemically deposited onto gold(Au) surface, has been used to immobilize 21-mer oligonucleotide probe (ssDNA) specific to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by utilizing affinity between oxygen atom of phosphoric group and zirconium to fabricate DNA biosensor. This DNA-ZrO2/Au bioelectrode, characterized using x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and scanning electron microscopy techniques, can be used for early and rapid diagnosis of M. tuberculosis with detection limit of 0.065 ng/μL within 60s.