Biosensing Test-Bed Using Electrochemically Deposited Reduced Graphene Oxide

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Biosensor development necessitates stable surfaces for effective bioentity interaction.
• Graphene oxide (GO) and its reduced form (ERGO) offer promising properties for biosensing platforms.
• Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a common transparent conductive substrate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reproducible and stable electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) thin film on ITO-coated glass.
• To characterize the structural and biocompatible properties of the ERGO/ITO surface.
• To demonstrate the utility of the ERGO/ITO surface as a biosensor test bed for triglyceride detection.

Main Methods:

• Formation of ERGO thin films on ITO via chronoamperometric reduction of graphene oxide suspension.
• Characterization of ERGO/ITO surfaces using microscopy and spectroscopy.
• Immobilization of lipase enzyme for triglyceride detection using carbodiimide chemistry.

Main Results:

• Reproducible formation of stable, closely packed ERGO flakes on ITO surfaces.
• Successful lipase immobilization and detection of triglycerides (TBN) with high sensitivity (37 pA mg dL(-1) cm(-2)) and fast response time (12 s).
• Low Michaelis-Menten constant (0.28 mM) indicating high enzyme affinity.

Conclusions:

• A fast, simple, and reliable method for ERGO electrode fabrication is established.
• The developed ERGO/ITO platform demonstrates significant potential for sensitive and efficient biosensing.
• This technique can be widely applied for detecting various clinically relevant bioentities.