Herein, a sensitive biosensor is constructed based on a novel rolling circle amplification (RCA) for colorimetric quantification of lead ion (Pb2+). At the detection system, GR5 DNAzymes are modified on the surface of an immunomagnetic bead, and Pb2+ is captured by the aptamer, inducing the disintegration of the GR5 DNAzyme and the release of the DNA walker. After the introduction of the template DNA, T4 DNA ligase, and phi29 DNA polymerase, an RCA is initiated for the sensitivity improvement of this method. Moreover, a G4-hemin DNAzyme is formed as a colorimetric signal, owing to its peroxide-like activity to catalyze the TMB-H2O2 substrate. Under the optimized conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) of this fabricated biosensor could reach 3.3 pM for Pb2+ with a concentration in the range of 0.01–1000 nM. Furthermore, the results of real samples analysis demonstrate its satisfactory accuracy, implying its great potential in the rapid detection of heavy metals in the environment.
The multilayers of Ta/Pd/[CoFeB (0.3 nm)/Pd]×5/Pd films were fabricated by ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) magnetron sputtering and subsequently annealed at temperatures (TA) ranging from 100 °C to 400 °C. The magnetic measurements were performed with the applied field oriented parallel and perpendicular to the film plane to evaluate the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy (PMA). A maximum effective PMA energy density (Keff) of ≈7.82 × 105 erg/cc and a small out-of-plane saturation magnetisation (Ms⊥) were achieved at the optimal TA. The evolution of PMA is associated with interfacial atomic migration and oxidation processes, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Annealing at 300 °C initiates the formation of TaB and TaOB interfacial phases, whereas annealing at 400 °C promotes the enhanced growth of Ta2O5 and TaB, along with additional TaOB formation owing to increased oxygen migration. These thermally stable Ta–boride phases lead to pronounced modifications in the magnetic properties. Consequently, oxygen migration and interfacial reactions at elevated temperatures primarily alter the chemical states of the B 1s, Pd 3d, and Ta 4f orbitals, thereby influencing the PMA. The field-dependent electrical resistance (MR) study demonstrates that annealing at 100–400 °C optimises the anisotropic effect in the [CoFeB/Pd]×5-based multilayers. However, higher temperatures can trigger atomic intermixing, which degrades PMA strength and the resistance response. Moreover, the samples were further characterised by their structural, anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and magnetoresonance (MRO) properties. Overall, controlled TA-driven oxygen diffusion and interfacial oxidation enable effective tuning of the PMA, MR, and MRO properties of ultrathin [CoFeB/Pd]×5 multilayers, highlighting their strong potential for spin–orbit torque (SOT), Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI), and magnetic skyrmion-based spintronic devices.