Flexible Self-Powered Sensing System Based on Novel DNA Circuit Strategy and Graphdiyne for Thalassemia Gene by Rapid Naked-Eye Tracking and Open-Circuit Voltage

Abstract

Based on the controllable instantaneous self-assembly ability of long-chain branched DNA nanostructures and the synergistic effect between nucleic acid amplification without enzymes, a highly sensitive and highly specific self-powered biosensing platform is developed. Two-dimensional graphdiyne is prepared, modified on flexible carbon cloth, and then functionalized with gold nanoparticles. When DNA mi-tubes are applied on it, target thalassemia gene CD122 triggers a dual-catalytic hairpin assembly reaction. The generated nanoscale DNA is precisely captured by the DNA mi-tube, exposing binding sites and activating the hybridization chain reaction to form long-chain branched DNA. Double-stranded DNA, along with dendritic DNA carrying a large number of guanine bases, precisely captures the signal molecule methylene blue (MB), generating a significant electrochemical signal. The redox reaction of MB also causes a proportional change in the system’s color, achieving a colorimetric detection functionality. An efficient dual-mode self-powered sensing platform, therefore, is established for detecting the thalassemia gene CD122. The linear response range of target concentration to open-circuit voltage and RGB Blue value is 0.0001–10,000 pM. The detection limit under electrochemical mode is 36.3 aM ( S / N = 3), and under colorimetric mode, it is as low as 12.1 aM ( S / N = 3). The new method exhibits high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, and high accuracy, providing a universal strategy for designing novel biosensing platforms that can be extended to the detection of other biomolecules.