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Nanocomposite Sensors of Polyaniline-Zn-Ag for the Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Environmental Water

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Abstract

This research is focused on the fabrication of a sensitive, durable and user-friendly polyaniline-Zn-Ag (PANI-Zn-Ag) nanocomposite thin film sensor for Leptospira bacterial detection. This study focuses on the performance of different concentration ratios of PANI-Zn-Ag nanocomposite thin films. The characterization of PANI-Zn-Ag nanocomposite thin films was carried out through field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The sensitivity, selectivity, repeatability and stability performance of PANI-Zn-Ag nanocomposite thin films were studied using current–voltage (I–V) curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). FESEM results showed an irregular particle structure of PANI-Zn0.6-Ag0.4 with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 80 nm, with low agglomeration. AFM results showed that the PANI-Zn0.6-Ag0.4 nanocomposite thin film sensor had the highest average roughness and grain size. These specific morphological properties are required to maximize the reaction between the particles in PANI-Zn-Ag and the bacterial cells to increase the sensitivity. The repeatability and stability test showed a standard deviation range of 0.0005–0.001, which indicates that the PANI-Zn-Ag thin film sensor has high reusability. The selectivity test showed a large current gap between the deionized water test and the bacteria test. The sensitivity analysis showed that the PANI-Zn0.6-Ag0.4 nanocomposite thin film sensor had the highest sensitivity (26.2%). The results obtained confirm that the PANI-Zn-Ag nanocomposite thin film sensor has the potential for use as a biosensor for Leptospira bacterial detection.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by Dana Impak Perdana (DIP 2016-021), Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2019/STG07/UKM/02/11), and the Photonic Technology Laboratory, from the Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, and the Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Huda Abdullah, Jion Wei Yu, Aravintha Ram Suppiah, Jamal Jurait, Iskandar Yahya & Noorfazila Kamal

  2. Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Malaysia

    Siti Khairani Bejo

  3. Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, 81310, Johor, Malaysia

    Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman

  4. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Yap Wing Fen

  5. Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Md. Akhtaruzzaman

  6. Faculty of Technology Management and Business, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, 86400, Johor, Malaysia

    Md Fauzi Ahmad

  7. Advanced Functional Materials Laboratory, Engineering Physics Department, InstitutTeknologi Bandung, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia

    Brian Yuliarto

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  1. Huda Abdullah
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Abdullah, H., Yu, J.W., Suppiah, A.R. et al. Nanocomposite Sensors of Polyaniline-Zn-Ag for the Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Bacteria in Environmental Water. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 8191–8202 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-023-10738-7

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