Bacterial infections in environmental and clinical settings remain one of the major causes of mortality, and Gram-positive bacteria contribute significantly to the increase in healthcare costs and fatality rates by causing diseases such as sepsis and ...
Bacterial infections in environmental and clinical settings remain one of the major causes of mortality, and Gram-positive bacteria contribute significantly to the increase in healthcare costs and fatality rates by causing diseases such as sepsis and food poisoning. Conventional culture-based diagnostic methods require long analysis times, while molecular diagnostic techniques are limited by the need for expensive instrumentation and skilled personnel. In this study, electrochemical biosensors utilizing multichannel electrode architectures were developed to achieve rapid and label-free detection of Gram-positive bacteria. Two distinct sensing strategies were designed: a peptide-based biosensor (16-GDEs) and an antibody-based biosensor (16-AuIWEs). In the peptide-based biosensor, complementary peptide pairs were immobilized on 16-channel gold disk electrodes (16-GDEs) incorporating a conductive AuNPs@Ti3C2Tz nanocomposite to enhance sensitivity and selectivity. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) analysis of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Micrococcus luteus demonstrated strong linear correlations (Adj. R2 ≥ 0.93) between bacterial concentrations and peak currents, achieving detection limit (LOD) of 5 × 102 CFU·mL-1. In the antibody-based biosensor, 16-channel gold interdigitated wave-shaped electrodes (16-AuIWEs) with finger intervals 10 μm were fabricated, and antibodies were covalently immobilized via 6-MHA SAM/EDC-NHS coupling chemistry. The fabricated biosensors specifically bound to the cell wall of S. aureus and B. cereus, exhibiting concentration-dependent impedance changes with excellent linearity (Adj. R2 ≥ 0.97) and low detection limit (LOD = 101 CFU·mL-1). Furthermore, EIS measurements were completed within approximately 10 minutes, demonstrating rapid and efficient detection performance. The two biosensors developed in this study were designed based on distinct recognition elements-peptides and antibodies-each providing complementary advantages for electrochemical detection. The antibody-based biosensor provides superior selectivity and stability, whereas the peptide-based biosensor offers simplicity of synthesis and cost efficiency. Both biosensors operate based on label-free electrochemical detection principles by monitoring interfacial changes induced by target binding without the use of external labels or chromogenic reactions. Therefore, this study presents versatile design strategies for multichannel electrochemical biosensors that can be selectively applied according to the application purpose, demonstrating strong potential for applications in clinical diagnostics, food safety monitoring, and environmental analysis.