Publications

Enhanced electrochemical detection of heavy metals at heated graphite nanoparticle-based screen-printed electrodes

Gemma Aragay, Josefina Pons, Arben Merkoçi. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 21, 4326-4331 (2011)
The effect of temperature upon the electrochemical stripping performance of a heavy metal sensor based on carbon nanoparticles is studied. The morphological changes of the sensing surface during the multidetection of Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions are studied by TEM and SEM. The effect of the temperature on the heavy metal deposition...

Nanomaterials based biosensors for food analysis applications

Briza Pérez-López, Arben Merkoçi. Trends in Food Science & Technology 22 (11), 625-639 (2011)
The development of novel sensors and biosensors with interest for food industry is one of the key fields for the nowadays nanobiotechnology and nanomaterial science. The functionalized nanomaterials are used as catalytic tools, immobilization platforms or as optical or electroactive labels to improve the bio-sensing performance...

A nanochannel / nanoparticle based filtering and sensing platform for direct detection of a cancer biomarker in blood

Alfredo de la Escosura-Muñiz, Arben Merkoçi . Small, 7, 675–682 (2011)
A rapid nanochannel-based immunoassay capable of the filtering and subsequent detection of proteins in whole blood without any sample preparation is described. This is accomplished by using a nanoporous/nanochannel membrane modified with antibodies, the conductivity of which toward a redox indicator is tuned by primary and secondary...

New trends in DNA sensors for environmental applications. Nanomaterials, miniaturisation and lab-on-a-chip technology

Alfredo de la Escosura-Muñiz, Mariana Medina, Arben Merkoçi. Chapter 8 at Nucleic Acid Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring, Edited by Ilaria Palchetti and Marco Mascini, Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, 143-166 (2011)

Electrochemical Investigation of Cellular Uptake of Quantum Dots Decorated with a Proline-Rich Cell Penetrating Peptide

Sergio Marín, Silvia Pujals, Ernest Giralt, Arben Merkoçi. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 22, 180–185 (2011)
(Cover page article)  The use of square wave voltammetry to monitor the cellular uptake, in HeLa cells, of quantum dots (QD) decorated with sweet arrow peptide (SAP) is reported. A SAP derivative containing an additional N-terminal cysteine residue (C-SAP) was synthesized using the solid-phase method and conjugated to QDs. The obtained...

Magnetic and electrokinetic manipulations on a microchip device for bead-based immunosensing applications

Adriano Ambrosi, Maria Guix, Arben Merkoçi. Electrophoresis, 32 (8), 861-869 (2011)
The combination of electrophoretic and magnetic manipulations with electrochemical detection for a versatile microfluidic and bead-based biosensing application is demonstrated. Amperometric detection is performed in an off-channel setup by means of a voltammetric cell built at the microchannel outlet and using a gold working...

Magnetic Nanoparticles Modified with Carbon Nanotubes for Electrocatalytic Magnetoswitchable Biosensing Applications

Briza Pérez-López, Arben Merkoçi. Advanced Functional Materials, 21, 255-260 (2011)
A novel biosensor based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalized with tyrosinase in an operational synergy with a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) network is developed. An on–off external magnetic field is applied to a screen-printed electrode (SPE), which is used as a transducing platform. This enables an interesting...

Nanoparticles for the development of improved (bio)sensing systems

Briza Pérez-López, Arben Merkoçi. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 399, 1577-1590 (2011)
Nanoparticles serve as fundamental building blocks for nanobiotechnology, especially in several applications in the development of novel (bio)sensing systems. Nanoparticles can be used for modification of the surfaces of (bio)sensingtransducers or as optical or electroactive labels to improve different aspects of performance,...

Nanoparticle induced catalysis for electrochemical DNA biosensors

Marisa Maltez-da Costa, Alfredo de la Escosura-Muñiz, Arben Merkoçi. Chapter at book: Electrochemical DNA Biosensors, edited by M. Oszos, published by Pan Stanford. Year: 2012, Chapter: 5, Pages: 141-162

Variable behaviour of flexible N,O-mixed pyrazole ligand towards Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) ions. Synthesis, crystal structure and fluorescent properties.

Miguel Guerrero, Josefina Pons, Josep Ros, Mercé Font-Bardia, Oriol Vallcorba, Jordi Rius, Vicenc Branchadell, Arben Merkoçi. CrystEngComm, 13 (21), 6457 - 6470 (2011)
The variable coordination behaviour of the mixed ligand 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazole (L) towards Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) ions has been investigated. Three new complexes, [ZnCl2(L)] (1), [CdCl2(L)]2 (2), and [HgCl2(L)]n (3), with different structures and topologies have been fully characterized by analytical and spectroscopic...