Phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide based fluorescence nano sensor for glucose sensing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) offers a high surface area and strong fluorescence quenching properties, making it suitable for biomolecule detection.
• Fluorescent probes near rGO surfaces experience quenching, a phenomenon exploited for sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel fluorescent nano-sensor for detecting biologically important glucose molecules.
• To utilize the fluorescence quenching property of reduced graphene oxide for sensitive glucose detection.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO-PBA) and di-ol modified fluorescent probe.
• Characterization using High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), UV-visible, Photo-luminescence (PL), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy.
• Detection of glucose in aqueous solutions at pH 7.4 using the developed nano-sensor.

Main Results:

• The synthesized fluorescent graphene-based nano-probe was successfully characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.
• The rGO-PBA nano-sensor demonstrated the ability to detect glucose molecules within a concentration range of 2 mg/mL to 75 mg/mL.
• The sensor operates effectively in aqueous solutions at a physiological pH of 7.4.

Conclusions:

• Phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide serves as an effective platform for developing fluorescent nano-sensors.
• The developed nano-sensor provides a sensitive and reliable method for detecting glucose in biological relevant conditions.
• This work highlights the potential of graphene-based nanomaterials in advanced biosensing applications.