Abstract
A rapid fluorescence sensor was developed for the determination of DNA using trimetallic zinc nickel aluminum-layered double hydroxides as the fluorescence quencher and carboxytetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA) fluorophore-labeled DNA as the probe. The anion exchangeability of trimetallic zinc nickel aluminum-layered double hydroxides allowed the adsorption of the TAMRA-labeled DNA probes which resulted in the quenching of TAMRA. When the target DNA was in the system, it bound with the complementary TAMRA-labeled DNA to form double-stranded DNA away from the quenchers, thereby preventing the quenching. The developed method provides high sensitivity for DNA from 2 to 20 nM with a detection limit of 0.45 nM within 15 min. This simple and efficient approach is versatile for DNA and demonstrates the application of layered double hydroxides in biosensing.