An ultrasensitive MXene-based electrochemical immunosensor for the detection and species identification of archaeological silk microtraces

The origin and dissemination of silk have been hotly debated in the field of archaeology, and the key to resolving this controversy lies in the detection and species identification of ancient silk microtraces. Herein, a taxonomically specific anti-fibroin monoclonal antibody was successfully prepared and a layer-by-layer self assembly electrochemical immunosensor was innovatively proposed for detecting silk traces based on flexible carbon cloth. The immunosensor possessed a broad linear range of 10-2-103 ng mL-1 and a detection limit of 2.15 pg mL-1 for the ultrasensitive detection of Bombyx mori silk traces. In addition, the elaborate immunosensor exhibited satisfactory high specificity, storage stability and reproducibility. In particular, the qualitative and quantitative performance of the immunosensor was excellent in the analysis of archaeological samples. Therefore, this work demonstrates that the proposed method not only provides a reliable analytical tool for exploring the origin and spread of archaeological silk, but also improves our understanding of how to use emerging materials like two-dimensional titanium carbide to creat innovative biosensors.