ThisstudyintroducesanovelsyntheticreceptorsensorbasedonthecombinationofaptasensingandmolecularimprintingstrategiesfordesigningaighlysensitivesystemtoovercomesomeofthechallengedfacedbyconventionalmethodsinTNTsensing.Anamino-AptwithinherenttendencyforTNTwascomplexwithTNTmoleculepriortobeingcovalentattachmentontoaGCEsurfacewhichismodifiedwithanovelandacilenanocomposite(Au@nano-C60).Controlledelectropolimerysationofdopamine(DA)aroundtheApt[TNT]complexservedtobothentrapthecomplexandholdingtheApt,it’sbindingconformation,andtolocalisetheTNTbindingsitesatthesensorsurface.ByremovingofTNT,itisassumedthattheMIPcavitywouldactsynergisticallywiththeembeddedApttoformananohybridreceptor(Apt-MIP),indicatingrecognitionpropertiessuperiortothatofAptalone.BenefitingfromthedoublespecificmolecularrecognitionpropertyofMIPsandAptsalongwiththeinsitugenerationofAunanoparticlesontothesuraceoftheGCEmodifiedwithactivatedC60astheAu@nano-C60nanocompositeledtounbeatablesensingpropertiessuchaslowerLOD(3.33aM)andwiderlinearconcentrationrangeofTNT(0.01fMto1.5μM)incomparisontoanotherreportedmethodsintheliterature.ThesatisfactoryresultsindicatethattheproposedstrategycouldbeextendedtovariousdiagnosticallyreleventproteinsusingnotonlyAptsbutasootheraffinitymoleculessuchasaffimers,antibodyandpeptidefragments.
