CuO thin film based uric acid biosensor with enhanced response characteristics.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Development of efficient reagentless biosensors is crucial for continuous monitoring.
• Copper oxide (CuO) thin films offer unique electrochemical properties.
• Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a versatile technique for thin film fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To realize an efficient reagentless uric acid biosensor.
• To investigate the electrocatalytic properties of CuO thin films for uric acid detection.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed biosensor for potential implantable applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of CuO thin films on platinum-coated glass substrates using PLD.
• Immobilization of uricase enzyme onto the CuO/Pt/glass electrode.
• Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry (CV).
• Quantification using photometric assay.

Main Results:

• The uricase/CuO/Pt/glass electrode demonstrated efficient bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of uric acid without external mediators.
• Good linearity was observed over a wide concentration range (0.05 mM to 1.0 mM).
• The biosensor exhibited an enhanced response of 2.7 mA/mM and a high shelf life (>14 weeks).
• A low Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m) = 0.12 mM) indicated enhanced enzyme affinity.

Conclusions:

• The p-type CuO thin film matrix is a promising material for reagentless biosensor development.
• The developed biosensor shows excellent performance characteristics for uric acid detection.
• The findings support the potential application of this biosensor in integrated implantable devices.