Phenylalanine-Rich Peptide Mediated Binding with Graphene Oxide and Bioinspired Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles for Electrochemical Sensing

Abstract

We demonstrated that a phenylalanine-rich peptide molecule, (FEFEFKFK)2, could be used for the biofunctionalization of graphene oxide (GO) and the bioinspired synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the creation of functional GO–AgNPs nanohybrids. The successful synthesis of GO–AgNPs nanohybrids was proven by the characterizations of atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The fabricated electrochemical H2O2 sensor based on the synthesized GO–AgNPs nanohybrids showed high performances with a linear detection range 0.02–18 mM and a detection limit of 0.13 μM. The design of graphene-binding peptides is of benefit to the biofunctionalization of graphene-based materials, the synthesis of novel graphene–peptide nanohybrids, and the potential applications of graphene in biomedical fields.