TiC@UiO-TCPP Schottky junction photoelectrochemical sensor for detecting alkaline phosphatase through the steric hindrance effect of phosphopeptide.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a major biomarker for clinical diagnosis, but detection methods of ALP are limited in sensitivity and selectivity. In this paper, a novel method for ALP determination is proposed. A photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor was prepared by growing UiO-tetratopic tetrakis (4-carbox-yphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) in situ between layered TiC through a one-pot hydrothermal method. The obtained Schottky heterojunction photoelectric material TiC@UiO-TCPP not only has a large light absorption range but also greatly improves the efficiency of photogenerated electron hole separation and thereby enhances sensitivity for PEC detection. The phosphate group on the phosphorylated polypeptide was utilized to form a Zr-O-P bond with the zirconium ion on UiO-66, and then photocurrent decreases due to the steric hindrance effect of phosphorylated polypeptides, that is, the hindrance of electron transfer between the photoelectric material and a solution. The specific interaction between ALP and phosphorylated polypeptides shears the bond between phosphate and zirconium ion on UiO-66 in the peptides then weakens the hindrance effect and increases the photocurrent, thus realizing ALP detection. The linear range of ALP is 0.03-10,000 U·L, and the detection limit is 0.012 U·L. The method is highly sensitive and selective, and has been applied in detection of ALP in serum samples.