Development of 170 MHz Electrodeless Quartz-Crystal Microbalance Immunosensor with Nonspecifically Immobilized Receptor Proteins

Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SPA) shows high nonspecific binding affinity on a naked quartz surface, and it can be used as the receptor protein for detecting immunoglobulin G (IgG), the most important immunoglobulin. The immunosensor ability, however, significantly depends on the immobilization procedure. In this work, the effect of the nonspecific immobilization procedure on the sensor sensitivity is studied using a home-built electrodeless quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensor. The pure-shear vibration of a 9.7-µm-thick AT-cut quartz plate is excited and detected in liquids by the line antenna located outside the flow channel. SPA molecules are immobilized on the quartz surfaces, and human IgG is injected to monitor the binding reaction between SPA and IgG. This study reveals that a long (nearly 24 h) immersion procedure is required for immobilizing SPA to achieve the tight biding with the quartz surfaces.