Electrodes modified with the phase transition polymer and heme peptide: Biocatalysis and biosensing with tunable activity and dynamic range

An electrode was modified with a phase transition polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and the polymer was further modified with a peroxidase model compound, heme peptide (HP). As the polymer layer shrank at temperatures above 30-40 degrees C, the catalytic activity of the HP molecules for H2O2 reduction improved, and simultaneously, the number of HP molecules that can communicate electrochemically with the electrode increased. As a result, the catalytic current for H2O2 reduction in the shrunken state was 4 times larger than that in the swollen state. This reversible change was exploited for tuning the sensitivity and dynamic range of the HP electrode in H2O2 biosensing. The dynamic range in inhibition-based biosensing of imidazole derivatives was also tunable.