Mesoporous carbon amperometric glucose sensors using inexpensive, commercial methacrylate-based binders

• Published in: Analytica chimica acta Vol. 738; pp. 27 - 34
• Main Authors: Dai, Mingzhi, Maxwell, Stephanie, Vogt, Bryan D., La Belle, Jeffrey T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 13.08.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Animals; Binders; Biological and medical sciences; Biosensing Techniques - instrumentation; Biosensing Techniques - methods; Biosensor; Biosensors; Biotechnology; Blood Glucose - analysis; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; Chemistry; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - blood; Electrochemical methods; Electrochemical Techniques - instrumentation; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Exact sciences and technology; Ferricyanides - chemistry; Formaldehyde - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General, instrumentation; Glucose; Glucose monitoring; Glucose Oxidase - chemistry; Humans; Limit of Detection; Mathematical models; Mesoporous carbon; Meters; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Phenols - chemistry; Poloxamer - chemistry; Polymers - chemistry; Polymethacrylic Acids - chemistry; Rabbits; Sensors; Separation; Various methods and equipments; Electrochemistry; Glucose monitoring; Biosensor; Diabetes mellitus; Mesoporous carbon; Performance evaluation; Glucose oxidase; Methacrylate polymer; Electrochemical method; Rabbit; Standard; Glucose; Powder; Membrane separation; Pore size; Detection limit; Amperometry; Robustness; Monitoring; Enzyme; Carbon electrode; Hydrophobic compound; Concentration; Lagomorpha; Chemical sensor; Binders; Carbon; Mesoporosity; Electrochemical detector; Whole blood; Vertebrata; Chemistry; Sensitivity; Mammalia; Oxidoreductases; Surface area
• ISSN: 0003-2670; 1873-4324
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2012.05.038

. [Display omitted] ► We prepared screen printed glucose sensor with two different mesoporous carbons. ► We investigated low cost, fluorine-free methacrylate-based as polymer binders. ► Cubic structure carbon provided higher signal than hexagonal structure carbon. ► Hydrophilicity of the binder greatly impacted the performance of the sensor. ► The best sensor accurately measured glucose level in rabbit blood. Two ordered, soft-templated mesoporous carbon powders with cubic and hexagonal framework structure and four different commercial, low cost methacrylate-based polymer binders with widely varying physical properties are investigated as screen printed electrodes for glucose sensors using glucose oxidase and ferricyanide as the mediator. Both the chemistry and concentration of the binder in the electrode formulation can significantly impact the performance. Poly(hydroxybutyl methacrylate) as the binder provides hydrophilicity to enable transport of species in the aqueous phase to the carbon surface, but yet is sufficiently hydrophobic to provide mechanical robustness to the sensor. The current from the mesoporous carbon electrodes can be more than an order of magnitude greater than for a commercial printed carbon electrode (Zensor) with improved sensitivity for model glucose solutions. Even when applying these sensors to rabbit whole blood, the performance of these glucose sensors compares favorably to a standard commercial glucose meter with the lower detection limit of the mesoporous electrode being approximately 20mgdL−1 despite the lack of a separation membrane to prevent non-specific events; these results suggest that the small pore sizes and high surface areas associated with ordered mesoporous carbons may effectively decrease some non-specific inferences for electrochemical sensing.