Methods
that enable the sensitive and label-free detection of protein
biomarkers are well-positioned to make potentially significant contributions
to diagnostics and derived personalized healthcare. In support of
this goal, a myriad of (electrochemical) methodologies have been developed;
recently, electrochemical capacitance spectroscopy emerged as an impedance-derived
approach which, in employing surface-confined redox-transducers, circumvents
problems associated with the use of solution-phase redox-probes. Herein,
we expand this scope by utilizing phytic acid-doped polyaniline as
a novel redox-charging polymer support enabling the reagentless assaying
of C-reactive protein in serum with good sensitivity. The construction
of the sensory interface via electropolymerization allows facile tuning
of the surface coverage and redox (capacitive) properties of the polymers,
which, in turn, modulate both assay selectivity, fouling, and sensitivity.
Significantly, this methodology is readily extendable to a wide range
of electrode materials and analytes.